Kristina M. English and John Greer Clark have released a new edition of their textbook on audiologic counseling and rehabilitation. Counseling-Infused Audiologic Care presents a comprehensive overview of counseling principles, emphasizing the critical role of the audiologist in helping patients to understand the impact of their hearing loss and to form their own internal motivation to take action.
Weaved throughout the book’s 14 chapters are nearly all of the Ida Institute’s tools. As the book discusses counseling techniques and methods, relevant Ida tools are identified as useful strategies to help draw out additional information from patients during appointments and to help sustain patient engagement in the entire process.
“Overall, the book stresses the impact of the hearing care professional on the encounter. You are not just a neutral cog in the wheel. You as the audiologist can make or break the outcome of the appointment depending on the words that you choose, the demeanor you present, and determining what trust worthiness looks like, feels like, and sounds like,” according to Kristina English. “Patients are often on the fence, at a crossroads, and they could find lots of reasons to run out the door and not take action. You, as the audiologist, might be the one thing that can help them move forward, instead of backwards, or stall.”
The textbook is not only for students. The book provides valuable demonstrations of how counseling and hearing rehabilitation principles can be applied in daily practice. Practicing professionals in the United States can receive continuing education credits from the American Academy of Audiology and the American Board of Audiology by reading the book and taking a series of online tests.
In connection with the book’s release, Kris English has developed an online forum where students and professionals can openly discuss issues and topics in counseling. The goal of the forum is to motivate future scholars to draw upon their experiences and make valuable observations that address challenges in counseling and audiologic rehabilitation.
Kris English is currently a professor at the University of Akron in Ohio. She served as a faculty member on the Ida Institute seminar series on Defining Hearing in 2008/2009.