The Chat with Dr.

Dave
Therapeutic Thoughts of the Week

Engagement

engagement
[en-geyj-muh nt] Spell Syllables

noun
1. the act of engaging or the state of being engaged.
2. an appointment or arrangement: a business engagement.
3. betrothal: They announced their engagement.
4. a pledge; an obligation or agreement: All his time seems to be taken up with
engagements.
5. employment, or a period or post of employment, especially in the performing
arts: Her engagement at the nightclub will last five weeks.
6. an encounter, conflict, or battle: We have had two very costly engagements with
the enemy this week alone.
7. Mechanics. the act or state of interlocking.

For the purpose of this weeks Dr. DavesTherapeutic Thoughts of the Week we will utilize
definition 1 the act of engaging or the state of being engaged.
What comes to your mind when you hear the term engagement as a provider? Who do you
think about when preparing to engage? The child? The natural parent? The foster parent?
The DFS Case Manager? The National Wraparound Initiative views engagement from a
wraparound perspective as being ecological and that the engagement process involves the
facilitator, the team, the family, the agencies, the community, and whomever else may be
involved.

The Chat with Dr. Dave

Therapeutic Thoughts of the Week
5 Helpful Tips to consider when Engaging:
1) Be Genuine As a provider our patients can recognize when we are not displaying
genuine sincerity.
2) Make our patient interactions two-ways As a provider some of us may like to hear
ourselves talk and others may like to listen. Be mindful of your facilitation style and
find a balance that will engage your patient in a manner where they find value in our
services.
3) Be an assertive, not an aggressive communicator Some of our patients or team
members may have strong personalities and may be intimidating. Dont let this
prevent you from participating in the planning and/or problem-solving process.
4) Make your communication and intent clear It is very easy to get distracted or
brought into the noise that may occur during some of our sessions and treatment team
meetings. Dont allow yourself to get frazzled by whats occurring in the room and
remain focused and on task to communicate your message for the need of the session
or meeting to move forward.
5) Follow up with your patient or team members Following up between sessions and
meetings when clinically appropriate and necessary shows that you are invested and
have good follow through.
Earlier I asked the question who is the individual or entities you think about when
participating in the process of engagement?
As a former wraparound director I recognized the value in having positive and consistent
engagement with my referral source whether it be with Juvenile Probation, Child Protective
Services, the Tribal/Regional Behavioral Health Authority (T/RBHA), or the County. I
recognized the value in maintaining positive working relationships with my referral sources as
they generated the referrals that kept the doors open to my offices and contributed to the revenue
that was brought into the organization. Today, as a Licensed Psychotherapist I equally recognize
the value associated with me in fostering and maintaining a positive, healthy, and functional
relationship with my referral source as the Department of Family Services generates referrals to
my current employer which contributes to the overall revenue generated for the organization. As
a provider to families involved with the Department of Family Services I encourage you to think
about how you engage with your Department of Family Services Case Managers and ask
yourself what is my working relationship like with my referral agent? Am I partnering with my
DFS Case Manager and how frequently am I partnering with him/her? Do I provide updates to
my DFS Case Managers? Do I take into consideration their conceptualization related to the
needs of my families and am I effectively creating a shared understanding of the familys needs
in my treatment team meetings with all of my team members?

The Chat with Dr. Dave

Therapeutic Thoughts of the Week
This Dr. Daves Therapeutic Thoughts of the Week is brought to you to provoke reflection in
how each of us are engaging our consumers and to elicit personal self-reflection in how we are
contributing toward fostering positive engagement opportunities with our referral agent as well
as with our patients.