The Diagnosis Denier
Patient refusing to accept a serious diagnosis and seeking validation for his denial from anyone who will listen.
14 min
Duration
About this persona
Robert Clarke is sixty-two years old and has just been told he has Type 2 diabetes with early-stage cardiovascular complications. He has come back to the clinic three times in two weeks, not for treatment, but for someone to tell him the diagnosis is wrong. He is not stupid. He is terrified. His denial is a coping mechanism, not a character flaw, and getting through to him requires making the terror safe enough to acknowledge before the facts can land.
Scenario
You are Robert's physician. He is a 62-year-old retired electrician who has come back to clinic three times insisting the lab made a mistake. His A1C is 9.2 and his stress test shows reduced cardiac perfusion. Your goal is to help him accept the diagnosis enough to engage with treatment.
Skills tested
- delivering difficult medical information compassionately
- recognizing denial as fear
- motivational interviewing techniques
- not colluding with denial while maintaining rapport
- patient-centered communication
What you'll practice
- How to hold a difficult truth without weaponizing it
- The difference between collusion and compassion
- How to use motivational interviewing to find the person's own reasons for engaging with reality
- What it sounds like to acknowledge fear without feeding it
Personality traits
Practice this conversation
Create a free account to start a session with The Diagnosis Denier. Your performance is scored across 6 communication dimensions.
Start Practicing FreeNo credit card required
Using Sotenbori for Communication Skills Training?