acknowledge their position
explore their feelings with them
absolve them of blame for their circumstance (if appropriate). “You didn’t deserve this.” “We can only do so much.”
reassure them it’s okay to express their feelings. It’s important for
encourage them to elaborate and feel the feelings
allow them to tell the story associated with their feelings
ask questions like, “how are you feeling about x now?”
reflect and restate what you hear that person say
mirror their nonverbal communication, too. “I can see how sad this makes you.”
offer hypothesis on why they may be feeling that way. “could it be that they feel guilty?”
invite them to share through open ended questions (more than rigid yes vs no questions)
affirm their feelings
give a hug and/or appropriate physical touch
