Let's be honest - these situations suck. A patient has been doing really well and is so enthusiastic about their recovery. They go and tell everyone about you, and book their partner in, telling you "They've had a bad back for ages, I'm sure you can help them!"
And then they turn up. Arms folded, scepticism written all over their face. You can tell immediately - they don't want to be here.
One of the students on my Advanced Communication Skills course recently asked me how I handle these cases. It's something I'm often asked about, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it with you.
Spoiler alert - it's not a magic script for suddenly winning them over. But it does allow both the patient and I to avoid a lot of potential frustration, and always results in them leaving happy.