Doc Meek

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Listen, what can be done about client failures?

We in the helping professions love to report our client successes.

It inspires the successful clients, the hopeful clients, our fellow helping professionals, and ourselves.

But what of client failures? No one wants to to report these. No one wants to hear about these.

Can failure be helpful?

I am remembering a young fellow (let’s call him Casey, not his real name) who came to me with a “hearing problem.” His anxious Mom brought him in because he was failing in school (Grade 3).

Casey’s hearing was perfect, so it turns out his problem wasn’t hearing, it was listening. Listening comprehension to be exact. Auditory comprehension to be more exact. This is treatable.

Casey self-described himself:

“I’m a poor listener.”

Casey felt it was a “fixed state” problem that he frustratingly had to live with, and created severe over-dependency upon his mother.

Passive listening therapy

It turns out that there are a number of protocols out there to help students who have trouble making sense out of what others are saying, even though they may have perfect hearing.

These listening protocols are relatively unknown, especially the easy passive listening therapies.

One of the possibilities is relatively inexpensive software designed for home use, such as Patricia and Rafaele Joudry’s Sound Therapy International products coming out of the original work of Dr. Alfred Tomatis. Link: http://www.soundtherapyinternational.com/v3/our-method.html

Treatment is a “piece of cake.” Put on a high quality set of earphones and listen without paying attention to the healing sounds, often embedded in music for more pleasant listening. The child or adult wearing the headphones can turn them to low volume and go about doing other things if they wish.

One university classroom in Montreal, Quebec, CANADA, had all of the students wearing the headphones during regular classes. Their mastery of subject matter and their marks went up significantly.

Another passive listening possibility

Another passive therapy choice is Advanced Brain Technologies “The Listening Program” for children and adults. One of the things they do is address issues with auditory processing, a very important brain/ear function. Their home-based programs are a tremendous help to students struggling with “hearing” issues.

Link to video: http://a.advancedbrain.com/tlp/the_listening_program.jsp

But Casey “disappeared”

I would have recommended a home-based passive listening program for Casey and it would have helped greatly. And restless Casey would not only have tolerated treatment well, he would have settled down in addition to being able to function properly in his school classroom.

But Casey never showed up again. Emails and phone messages left for his mother went unanswered.

This meant that Casey, without some form of good listening intervention, is sure to suffer endlessly in school and onward into his adult life.

Since effective passive listening programs are relatively unknown, the chances of Casey getting the help he so desperately needs are slim.

It broke my heart.

Where are you, Casey?

Doc Meek, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA, May 17, 2014