Have you ever noticed that you have some clients that are:
- More easily overwhelmed so they become edgy, upset or agitated when given a number of pieces of information or things to do?
- Experiencing a huge range of emotions or a particular intensity to their emotions?
- Seem to find their separation even more acutely painful?
- Appearing pained by the presence of other people, more noise or a strongly lit environment?
- Uncomfortable in themselves and not able to sit comfortably or without fidgeting?
- Describing feeling overwhelmed by the number of things to do or the range of emotions around them?
If so your client may be a Highly Sensitive Person. According to Elaine N. Aron’s research around 15-20% of the population are Highly Sensitive and a further percentage may be moderately sensitive. This means it’s statistically likely that you will encounter people who are particularly sensitive to stimuli, tasks and their environment in your work.
It can be frustrating working with clients who are particularly overwhelmed. They don’t seem able to process or retain information and may often ask for repeated advice or information. They may seem unable to make decisions, or to properly comprehend what’s being asked of them. This may lead to frustrations on their ex-partner’s behalf, which may make a court application more likely. This will be a difficult scenario for an HSP to deal with.
Being able to spot the signs of an HSP and recognise them as clients from the outset is an invaluable tool. Having the skills and knowledge to offer the support tailored to their sensitivities will not only make your role an awful lot easier, it will go a long way to helping your Highly Sensitive client achieve the best outcome for them and their family.
You can click on our free guide to supporting HSP clients below. This adds you to our free mailing list. We send out a fortnightly newsletter and occasional other emails. You can unsubscribe at any time.
