Reaching out to distressed colleague who refuses help
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You note that a colleague seems to be in distress, and are concerned about him. However, when you speak to him, he becomes loudly defensive, denies any problem, states he is fine, and refuses help.
Category:
physician – physician
What's happening?
Feb 22 2012 (All day)
Nov 12 2011 - 9:30am
Comments
Could go either way
The protagonist is showing concern by approaching his colleague.
Perhaps the colleague is fine, or maybe not comfortable opening up.
The protagonist could benefit from a sensitive approach, and in the case the colleague is in fact fine, the colleague could benefit from graciously appreciating the concern expressed.
The scene suggests the colleague really is distressed. It does make for a twist if in fact its the protagonist's approach that causes the encounter to unravel - but that is not apparent until seeing the skilled version.
Like the idea of making the reaction dependent on the approach
Since we're likely to have only one chance to do a colleague approaching another about worrisome behavior, and getting some kind of a reaction, we might want to illustrate how the type of reaction that we get might depend on the way we approach the topic.
If the approach is overtly pathologizing, (i.e. You're sick, you need help) then we can expect a defensive reaction. If the approach focuses on describing an observation and stating a feeling of concern, it's reasonable to expect a somewhat different reaction. Although, having said that, we could still get some anger / fear / denial, and could illustrate how the more skilled colleague would react to that. The "inner work" piece in between those would (if we shot it) illustrate the protagonist reflecting on what her colleague's feelings might be, and preparing herself to receive those and translate them into an empathic statement.
Like the general idea
...of making it about trying to reach out to someone who isn't open to it. Noting the good comments about the potential uncertainties (is the colleague in trouble or is the "helper" misperceiving? To what degree is the reaction related to the way the concerns were communicated), I would add that the reaction, "loudly defensive, denies any problem, states he is fine, and refuses help," is, to me, perhaps extreme. In my experience of role-plays and other scenario-type learning, the situations in which someone's views and/or behaviour are so boldy expressed are easier to deal with and less realistic than those in which some uncertainty remains. Maybe the colleague uncomfortably laughs it off and says everything is fine, or turns the tables and becomes behaves passive-aggressively toward the protagonist.
This is probably more specific than you're looking for at this stage?
A slight twist
The distressed colleague could have an acute issue, but alternatively this could be a pattern that the protaganist has noted for many years, specifically workaholism. The colleague is in the position of never being happy despite increased effort output and success. The protaganist notes the colleague to be stressed and irritable whenever the pressure wanes and she is faced with a modicum of free time. The colleague's standards are impossible to maintain for herself and for others.