Conversations that matter: Navigating sensitive topics with patients and families
Join Kate Jackson as she reflects on experiences of conversations that feel challenging and shares her learning about how to reduce anxiety, stress and worry about interactions with patients and families. Kate will explore concepts and skills that help to build confidence in addressing topics that may feel uncomfortable and offer tips and strategies that can be used in health and social care practice.
Learning Outcomes
- Explore challenging conversation topics such as death, disagreements and safeguarding issues
- Consider the value of empathy in clinical conversations
- Refresh learning about therapeutic use of self in conversation
Meet our Experts

Nicola Murphy is a dedicated and compassionate Occupational Therapist with experience within the inpatient, outpatient, and community settings. Her experience spans across many specialities including oncology, surgery/ vascular, wheelchairs services, and elderly care.

Kate Jackson is an Independent Occupational Therapist based in Leicester. She has worked in Mental Health services in the NHS, as a Lecturer in Higher Education and as a Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist in a Hospice setting, among her roles. Kate is a trained Mindfulness Teacher and has an MA in Mental Health Studies. She currently runs her practice ‘Wellbeing Therapy Solutions’ in Leicester, offering mental health focused Occupational Therapy.
People who watched this also watched...
Red flags in seating
This session will explore the critical signs (redflags) that indicate a seating system may be inadequate, unsafe, or contributing to poor health outcomes. Participants will learn how to identify common seating issues, understand their potential consequences, and implement timely interventions to enhance user comfort, safety, and functional independence.
Pressure Ulcers - Understanding what went wrong through RCA and PSIRF
This session will consider investigating pressure ulcer incidents within the context of Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and the new National Wound Care Strategy Recommendations.
Undertaking investigations within your care home or home care team will help you understand what improvements need to be made, if any, to the care being delivered. Demonstrating that this activity is taking place, being acted upon and improving pressure ulcer incidents could support an improved CQC rating.
Pain management that works
In this session we will explore the prevalence and causes of pain in older adult residents and how that pain affects them in terms of cognitive, emotional and physical health and safety. We will look more closely at the relationship between pain and pressure ulceration in terms of increased risk and more challenging management, and explore management options including pharmacological, non-pharmacological and self-management.