Managing stuck or distressed patients

Professor Bruce Arroll suggests ways to identify stress and stressors, and why it’s important to do so.

Topics

How do you define distress?
Why is it important to be self-aware as a primary care provider?
Why is it important for us to discuss stress with our patients?
What have you noticed about how different cultures cope with stress?
What techniques can we use personally and teach our patients to deal with stress?
Long term, unchecked stress can lead to other chronic health issues like anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain. What is your experience here?

Take home messages

Learn to recognise your life’s dashboard warning light.
Acknowledge that your stress is about something that is important to you.
Don’t problem solve if it’s personal, hold it lightly.

Resources

Bruce Arroll: Focused Acceptance & Commitment Therapy in Primary Care & other resources
Workshops with Russ Harris Actmindfully.com
The happiness-trap Goodfellow Unit podcast episode
Anxiety NZ Trust

Presenter

Bruce Arroll

General Practitioner

Find out more...

Bruce is a Professor of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the University of Auckland New Zealand and a practising GP at Greenstone Family Clinic in Manurewa, South Auckland. He does regular general practice at that clinic and also does special consultations using Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for people who are feeling stuck in their lives by stress, pain or low energy. He does this work with his own patients and those referred from his clinic colleagues as well as for people outside of the clinic.