Treatment Related Question

So my pdoc is a by-the-book, professional type of pdoc. Once in a while she gets in a pissy mood, but most of the time she's sociable and consistent. I trust her judgment and perspective. That's her.

Then there's her tech. The tech's job is to pick patients up from the downstairs waiting room and bring them upstairs to mental health treatment. She then takes blood pressure, weight. She also schedules appointments.

The tech is friendly and sweet. She tries hard to do her job well (although she doesn't always know how to properly take blood pressure). She's very pretty and dresses fashionably. No scrubs or uniform, which kind of makes me feel awkward. Shouldn't a nurse or tech wear the appropriate clothing for her job?

Okay. We have a sweet, friendly tech who, for the most part, does the very basics of her job competently. But...

Here's the problem. The tech's behavior is anything but professional. She bounces all over the place, laughing, running from her office down the hall to the other receptionist and waiting area, screaming, gossiping. I mean...it's a psych clinic and she's giggling and yelling at the top of her voice like a high school girl running around the school hallway. I'm actually starting to look forward to days when she's not there (the other receptionist is calming and quiet, sociable, but appropriate).

Last week I was having an extremely stressful day and I was holding on by a thread. The tech's screaming and giggling was unbearable. I cannot understand why, why no one on the floor has instructed her to calm down and behave in a manner that is consistent with a psych clinic. I totally blew up at her because she was late in picking me up from downstairs. I was unstrung by that point.

Any ideas? Am I old-fashioned, should I just work on not letting the tech's behavior get to me? Should I speak with someone and, if so, who? My fear is that my pdoc or therapist will either use my name if they speak with the tech - or she'll know right off that I'm the person who complained.

I have my T appointment tomorrow and I'm already getting anxious about listening to that tech & being in her presence. Very anxious.

That sounds awful. If you do it anonymously, I don't think she'd guess it was you.

If I was feeling strong, I'd speak to her myself and just flatly say, Could you keep the noise down please?

I would personally ask her to not be so loud as your overly sensitive to noise. That should chill her out , you might have to do it numerous times and she starts remembering. I’m guessing she’s been that way for a long time and apparently her boss hasn’t needed to tell her to chill

Talk to your T about it , you both could come up with some good coping skills to help you deal with too much noise, personally I think the entire world is too loud.

Thanks Purple, Violet, Blue and Christina for the support. It gives me courage to speak up. I seldom use the word "trigger", but when I do.... I mean, that chick must be triggering clients right and left. She is loud. Quite literally bouncing off the walls. Initially, I passed her behavior off as exuberant, or bubbly, which slid into the category of irritating and dreadful.

I think the world is too loud, too. I love sounds, but they don't need to be smothering.

Good luck. Just do your best, Beth. I like quiet, too.

Have you asked the doctor how she feels about this tech?

Hi BethRags. I understand how there can be varying opinions on how one should handle this. Perhaps my opinion would not be the best, but if I was in your shoes, I would speak to your psychiatrist or therapist about the tech's behavior and how it is triggering or stress inducing. I can't imagine that they would ever reveal to the tech that you, specifically, talked to them about the issue. They are not supposed to reveal anything you talk about with them to others. Certainly if you tell them you don't wish to be IDd as the complainant, they shouldn't reveal that. I fear that if you talk directly to the tech that that may anger her, making your experience even less comfortable. She may even ignore your feedback. It would be harder to ignore the feedback from a therapist or psychiatrist. Plus, if there is a manager of the techs, your psychiatrist and/or therapist could talk directly to them -- still not revealing that you provided the feedback.

I totally agree with you that the tech's behavior is unprofessional. Her attire as you describe it is not an issue, in my book, but the screaming and running around certainly would be. I think it is right that if you talk to your psychiatrist or therapist that you express not just your own discomfort with the tech's behavior, but also that you feel it also likely affects other patients.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahsweets Have you asked the doctor how she feels about this tech?

Ohhhh, I would LOVE to ask her. But she's ultra-professional, absolutely the opposite of the tech, so she'd never tell me. If I go by her (pdoc) tone of voice, I'd say that she takes a lot of deep, grounding breaths before speaking with her tech.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirdDancer Hi BethRags. I understand how there can be varying opinions on how one should handle this. Perhaps my opinion would not be the best, but if I was in your shoes, I would speak to your psychiatrist or therapist about the tech's behavior and how it is triggering or stress inducing. I can't imagine that they would ever reveal to the tech that you, specifically, talked to them about the issue. They are not supposed to reveal anything you talk about with them to others. Certainly if you tell them you don't wish to be IDd as the complainant, they shouldn't reveal that. I fear that if you talk directly to the tech that that may anger her, making your experience even less comfortable. She may even ignore your feedback. It would be harder to ignore the feedback from a therapist or psychiatrist. Plus, if there is a manager of the techs, your psychiatrist and/or therapist could talk directly to them -- still not revealing that you provided the feedback. I totally agree with you that the tech's behavior is unprofessional. Her attire as you describe it is not an issue, in my book, but the screaming and running around certainly would be. I think it is right that if you talk to your psychiatrist or therapist that you express not just your own discomfort with the tech's behavior, but also that you feel it also likely affects other patients.

Exactly. I am speaking with my T about it today. I actually had a nightmare about the tech! Obviously her behavior is disturbing my mind. See, when I'm therapy (in the therapy room) the tech keeps screaming and slamming her hands on the walls. I have a problem with it because

Possible trigger:

my mom and step-father used to fight violently...I'd be in my bedroom and what I would hear was yelling and stuff being thrown around, slamming into the walls. That included their own bodies slamming into the walls when they were fighting. It seriously triggers me. I kept telling myself to buck up, but I know that the tech's behavior is wearing on me

I'm sorry to read this, BethRags. I hope when you respond again here you have already discussed this issue (and your trigger) with your therapist. If a psychiatrist's and therapist's office can't be a safe place, where can be? They must make it a quiet safe place, if possible! After reading your story, I am almost certain that other patients are affected by the tech's behavior, too.

If the tech needs some kind of psychiatric or therapeutic intervention, she should get it.

Thank you so much, Birdie and each of you.

So I told my T about the problem with the tech. I took a deep breath and included that when the tech slams herself or her hands against the walls it is really triggering to me.

T said that the tech is young and still in training. (She might be even younger than I thought she was.) That said, T said the primary concern is clients, and she takes it very seriously if a client is being triggered by anyone's behavior. So T is going to speak with the tech about toning it down and remind her that the clinic needs to be a safe place for everyone.

I am glad I brought the issue up. I think the tech will mellow out now, at least somewhat. And it does need to be an important aspect of her training. I mean, sheesh! She's not a high school girl at lunch break. Also, I don't think the tech will think it's me who complained about her...I believe that T will be discreet.

So I feel good. Not only about helping myself, but hopefully some other patients will feel calmer and safer there.

Well done. I'm so pleased you were able to spit it out. Sometimes, these things are messy and uncomfortable, but they need saying.