The words to use
- ICE
- Ideas, concerns and expectations: asking what someone thinks is going on, what worries them most, and what they hope will happen.
- Clinical empathy
- Understanding someone's situation and feelings, checking you have understood correctly, and acting on it helpfully (Mercer and Reynolds, 2002).
- Cue
- A hint at a feeling that has not been said out loud, such as going quiet, a sigh, or "I'm fine, honestly".
- Normalising
- Telling someone their reaction is common and understandable, such as "Lots of people feel nervous about this", without saying their worry is wrong.
