We guide healthcare professionals in a solution-focused approach so clients can embrace possibilities, opportunities, and a fresh vision for the future.
The strength in the Dolomite Mountains towering over a lovely placid lake in Northern Italy from Deb’s travels in 2018.
We find ourselves in the middle of National Words Matter week. Did you know there was such a week? Words are the basis for communication, no matter what language is spoken. Because words matter, we’ve written about the #LangaugeMatters movement many times, you can read more here and here. Here at AFreshPOVforYou, we embrace the importance, power, and impact of words, not just this week, but all year long!
Our series focusing on words to inspire solution-focused thinking and practice continues this week. You can read more about our take on the power of word selection here. Last week’s word was “Acceptance” – check out our perspective here.
Today’s word is “Strengths”
According to the Miriam Webster Dictionary, “strength” is: the quality or state of being strong : capacity for exertion or endurance: a strong attribute or inherent asset. In solution-focused talk, “strengths” are tasks or actions an individual can do well. For instance, seeking support. In a 2018 #DSMA Twitter Chat we asked participants about their strengths. One individual with diabetes replied:
“I am strong when it comes to seeking support. When I am down, I am self-aware enough to address my hardship. I’m not afraid to be vulnerable.”
Another replied:
“My strength is that I refuse to give up. I am tenacious and do not take no for an answer.”
An individual typically can recognize and clearly identify things they are able to do or achieve and feel happy. We can then encourage focus on those strengths, doing more of what is working, and leveraging those strengths, skills and qualities to create new opportunities. In the same Twitter Chat mentioned above, another participant shared:
“I concentrate on the lifestyle. The day to day life of a person with diabetes. I work for overall health through exercise, and diet for BGL [blood glucose] results. The support I receive takes care of the rest. So, cure or not, let’s make it as good as we can and support the other.”
We’ve learned that sometimes self-identified strengths are not areas we might immediately think of in the healthcare world, as evidenced by this individual’s reply:
“My strengths are passion, humor, and striving to connect with the human being that is each of us. And reminding myself I’m a work in progress.”
Diabetes care and education specialists can learn a lot from simply asking people what strengths they have to help them live well with diabetes. Those words speak volumes, as evidenced in this individual’s reply:
“I have the strength to keep on going even [when] I have a few bad readings here and there. I keep living and doing what I do.”
The Association for Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES, formerly AADE) embraces using strengths-based language in diabetes care and education, and has a page of resources here that you may find helpful.
A solution-focused challenge
So our challenge to you this week is to focus on using strengths-based language in your communications to help uncover strengths your clients have. And encourage them to build upon those strengths to do more of what is working for them.
Here are 5 solution-focused questions you can incorporate to focus on strengths:
What strengths do you have and use to help you manage your diabetes every day?
What other strengths can you identify? (Note: whenever possible we ask “what else” to expand the thought process)
What would success look like for you (e.g. in life, in living with diabetes etc.)?
How can you use your strengths to create opportunities for success?
What else would you like to share with me today?
We welcome anyone interested in our approach to Subscribe to our blog and we’ll email you when a new post is published!
If you are a health care professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients.
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A new year, new decade, and renewed focus for us here @AFreshPOVforYou! This blog is over a year old now, and while our overarching focus remains the same, our Mission has evolved over time.
Our overarching goal
Our broad goal at A Fresh POV for You is to focus on Possibilities, Opportunities and creating a Vision (POV) for the future, based on strengths and leveraging positive learnings from past experiences. Initially the primary focus of this blog was people living with or at risk for diabetes. However, we realized that we also want to share our learnings and how-to’s with other diabetes care and education specialists in order to begin to flip the paradigm to embrace a solution-focused approach in practice.
Our new Mission
We guide healthcare professionals in taking a solution-focused approach to practice to enable clients with diabetes to embrace possibilities, opportunities, and a fresh vision for the future.
Who are we?
We are solution-focused diabetes care and education specialists . We are passionate about doing diabetes care and education differently. Too much of life is spent focusing on problems. Forget the “problems”! Let’s turn attention instead to possibilities, opportunities, and a fresh vision for the future. As diabetes care and education specialists, let’s step alongside our clients as “think partners” to focus on what’s important to them, what’s already going well, and build upon that to reach their goals so that they may live life to the fullest.
We have both spent our entire careers partnering with people with diabetes to leave a positive imprint. In our discussions and research with people with diabetes, we’ve heard loud and clear that many are not happy with the diabetes care and education services they have received. A remark that has frequently bubbled up is related to leaving a healthcare appointment feeling badly because of significant negative talk and attitudes – feeling as if they, the person with diabetes, has done something wrong, and thus are not motivated or inspired to do things differently. We are advocates for person-centered, strengths-based language, and believe that self-compassion is essential when living with a chronic condition.
A peek at our research findings
From our research we’ve learned that incorporating a solution-focused approach into our interactions with clients makes a difference. Five themes emerged from our qualitative study regarding what “would happen” in a desired future state, including: more living life; laughter and humor; self-compassion; resilience; and support.Together, let’s do more of what works, and focus less on what’s wrong.
Top 10 things we accomplished in 2019
Conducted a survey around the perceptions and impact of current diabetes education services. (You can learn more in this post)
Hosted 2 #DSMA Twitter Chats around taking a solution-focused approach to life with diabetes. (Read more about them here and here)
Conducted a qualitative research study via Twitter around the impact of implementing a solution-focused tool, the Miracle Question, with people living with diabetes.
Conducted in-depth focus groups with people living with diabetes to gain insight around wants and needs to co-design the future of diabetes care and education services. (Read more about co-design here)
Presented at the American Association of Diabetes Educators annual meeting on implementation of the solution-focused tool, the Miracle Question adapted for diabetes. (Read about that here)
Presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) on our Twitter Chat research. (Read our abstract here and our blog posts here and here)
In follow-up to the EASD presentation, had our work published in the European Medical Journal focused on diabetes. (Find it here)
Submitted a paper on taking a solution-focused approach to diabetes care and education accepted for publication in AADE in Practice journal.
Submitted a paper sharing some of our research findings to The Diabetes Educator journal.
Outlined the content for a solution-focused handbook (more to come in the next year!)
Top learning from 2019
A solution-focused approach to diabetes care and education resonates with people with diabetes and diabetes care and education specialists!
Our fresh views
We’ve called our weekly blog posts our “Fresh Views” because not only do we share views and practical guidance in the diabetes realm, we also often share inspiring fresh views we’ve experienced in our travels, be it a beautiful sunset, a sandy beach, or towering mountains.
Getting to know us personally, beyond professionally is important. We believe in the concept of a “therapeutic alliance”- which means that the relationship between health care professionals and people with diabetes is the most important component. So, aside from being passionate diabetes care and education specialists, we are also speakers, authors, wives, moms, adventurers, and avid travelers always in search of the next fresh and magnificent view! We have lots of creative ideas and ways we hope to engage in innovative diabetes education services!
Follow us @AFreshPOVforYou on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest and learn more about our fresh views!
If you are a healthcare professional and interested in learning more about our solution-focused practice and approach, when you subscribe to our blog, we’ll send you in return a FREE resource of 10 Solution-Focused Questions to start a solution-focused discussion with your clients.
Finding Bright Spots puts wind in the sails, rather than constantly tearing them down. -Adam Brown
Adam Brown is almost a household name in the diabetes community! He is the Senior Editor of diaTribe.org and author of acclaimed diaTribe column, Adam’s Corner as well as Head, Diabetes Technology + Connected Care, for Close Concerns. He’s the author of the incredible book, Bright Spots & Landmines: The Diabetes Guide I Wish Someone Had Handed Me,
His practical guide aligns with our thinking at A Fresh POV for You and our desire to educate the community about solutions focused therapy and coaching approach. We appreciate Adam taking time to share insights around finding and focusing more on what he calls diabetes “Bright Spots,” while setting up safeguards to steer away from stumbling upon diabetes “Landmines”.
Q1: What are “Bright Spots” and “Landmines”?
Adam: “Bright Spots” and “Landmines” is a framework for evaluating diabetes habits and decisions.
The goal with “Bright Spots” is to identify what works and focus on doing those things more often. In other words, “What’s going well in my diabetes that I should keep doing? What happens on my best days? What foods and decisions keep my blood glucose in the tight range of 70-140 mg/dL? What puts me in a positive frame of mind? How can I do more of these things each day?” Examples from my own life:
Eat less than 30 grams of carbohydrates at one time.
Remember why in-range blood sugars benefit me TODAY (I’m happier, more productive, in a better mood, and a kinder person to loved ones).
Walk after I eat and to correct high blood sugars.
Get at least seven hours of sleep.
Conversely, the point of Diabetes Landmines is to uncover what doesn’t work and find ways to do those things less often. “What decisions do I make repeatedly that explode into out-of-range blood sugars values over 180 mg/dl or less than 70 mg/dl? What happens on my most challenging days with diabetes? What choices do I always regret? What repeatedly brings on negative feelings? How can I do fewer of these things each day?” Examples from my own life:
Hypoglycemia binge: overeating to correct a low, only to go high afterwards.
Eating white bread, crackers, and sugary foods
Asking unproductive questions like “How is this this possible?” or “Why am I so terrible at this?”
Using all-or-nothing thinking: “Well, I don’t have an hour, so I can’t exercise.”
Clarifying Landmines upfront helps develop a plan of attack: What safeguards can I set up to avoid them? How can I build routines that reduce the chances of stumbling onto them?
Most of us are very good at identifying Diabetes Landmines (mistakes), but we rarely ask the opposite (Bright Spots) question: “What is working and how can I do more of it?” Diabetes requires both modes of thinking! And since Bright Spots are often overlooked and undervalued, we must actively cultivate this kind of thinking.
Adam: The book discusses my own “Bright Spots” and “Landmines” in four areas: Food, Mindset, Exercise, and Sleep. I consider these key pillars of living well with diabetes. My #1 goal was to make this book actionable, meaning anyone can pick it up and immediately improve some aspect of his or her life: more time in an ideal blood glucose range; less time managing and worrying about diabetes; less stress and guilt; better relationships and energy and sleep; and a happier mental state. Everything in Bright Spots & Landmines has made a positive difference in my life, and most things include a small step that can be taken immediately. The advice has resonated with people who are newly diagnosed all the way tothose with 50+ years of diabetes.
Q4: The work we @AFreshPOVforYou are doing is centered around the solutions focused brief therapy approach. How does that align with Bright Spots?
Adam: It’s easy to come up with a vague list of things I “should” and “should not” do, but Bright Spots and Landmines need to be useful. That means hitting three criteria:
Specific and actionable: “Eat healthy” does not count as a Food Bright Spot – it’s too vague. “Fill half my plate with vegetables” is much clearer.
Realistic and sustainable: “Not eating” does not count as a Food Bright Spot either – it’s impossible to sustain. “Eat slowly and stop before I’m 100% full” is more realistic.
In my control and changeable: “Bad weather” is not an Exercise Landmine – it’s out of my control. On the other hand, “overeating after exercise” is a Landmine that is changeable – I can find ways to avoid it.
Q5: Tell us about the 42 factors that affect blood glucose.
Adam: Over the past ten years, I have worn continuous glucose monitoring for over 60,000 hours, run thousands of personal experiments, and learned from some of the smartest minds in diabetes. One of my biggest takeaways is how absurdly complex diabetes is; it’s not as simple as “eat healthy, take your medications, and exercise and you’ll have on-target blood sugars.”
In reality, there are at least 42 factors that affect blood sugar – food, medication, activity, environmental, biological, and decision-making factors. Many of these factors are barely talked about (e.g., sleep), others are impossible to measure in any given moment (e.g., stress, infusion set function), and we never know what factors are in play in a given moment. Most of Bright Spots & Landmines is about minimizing the impact of those 42 factors. But perfectionism is impossible, given the tools we have and the environment we live in. CGM, coupled with experimentation and reflection, is an amazing diabetes tool to cope with this complexity. Get a full downloadable PDF explaining all 42 Factors here.
Q6: Would you share an impactful story/experience surrounding Bright Spots that might resonate with people living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes?
Adam: The Amazon reviews tell some remarkable stories – people who have dropped their A1c by multiple points, who spend significantly more time-in-range each day, who have renewed motivation to manage diabetes, etc.
Q7: What guidance would you offer for DEs / HCPs to focus on bright spots?
Adam: When someone is struggling, the temptation is to focus on what’s going wrong and brainstorm solutions. This “Diabetes Landmines” thinking has value, but it cannot be 100% of the focus!
A “Bright Spots” orientation – what is working and how can I do more of it? – is just as valuable (and in many cases, far more valuable). Finding Bright Spots puts wind in the sails, rather than constantly tearing them down.
Here are some questions to help Find Diabetes Bright Spots:
What is going well in my diabetes? What am I doing well that I should try to do more often?
What happens on my best days with diabetes?
What do I eat?
What does my diabetes self-talk sound like?
When and how do I exercise?
How did I sleep the night before?
What do loved ones do that is helpful?
If I wanted to have one of these Bright Spot days today, what would I do to make it happen?
What times of day or days of the week is my glucose consistently staying in range (70-140 mg/dl or 70-180 mg/dl, depending on your preferences)? What choices might be enabling that to happen?
What is one Bright Spot decision from the past week that – if repeated consistently – would really improve my quality of my life?
What are some small steps that I could take this week to increase my Diabetes Bright Spots? What am I willing to try?
Thank you Adam for your enlightening solutions focused approach and sharing your first-hand understanding and experience about how to live well with diabetes! We agree with you that “Bright Spots are often overlooked and undervalued, (and) we must actively cultivate this kind of thinking.” At A Fresh POV for you our goal is to do things differently and encourage building a strong therapeutic alliance by focusing on strengths, solutions, and yes, Bright Spots!
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Disclaimer: A Fresh POV for You is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
“Solitude is where one discovers one is not alone.” –Marty Rubin
Puma in her secret drawer
We love animals, and believe in the therapy pets can provide. We also believe we can learn from them.
One of Deb’s cats has a secret drawer where she hides when life gets a little too stressful. She’ll use that alone time to calm down, and when she’s ready, she’ll come out and face the world again. Her resource to foster her strengths is a secret drawer. It’s her stress management.
Do you ever feel like you need a “secret drawer”, where you can think about things and reframe your focus on things that are going well? (Check out our January 2, 2019 post for more thoughts on reframing).
Are you someone who re-energizes by taking some alone time? Or by spending time in a group? If you’ve ever completed a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Personality Test you understand this concept. In Myers-Briggs, an introvert replenishes their energy with much needed alone time, because their energy is drained when with a group (which differs from the common thought that introverts are simply quiet and shy). An extrovert, however, needs to be around others to “fill their tank” and recharge.
When employing a solution focused approach to help others create solutions, it’s key to understand how people re-energize. To help flush this out, we can explore where they get their strength from? How they have coped in the past? How they have managed? When they answer these questions, it’s then possible to identify the type of solution they have engaged in, and encourage them to engage in these helpful behaviors more often. Keep in mind, when using a solution focused approach, the solutions do not have to be directly related to any identified problem. The focus is on what the desired future for the individual is, and pinpointing how to move in that direction. So when things are going well, we want to encourage engaging in behaviors from that time, more often.
What resources can you pull from when you need a secret drawer? If a little down time helps reduce stress or gives your mind the bandwidth to think and identify solutions, then take a secret drawer break. Or, maybe going out with people is what you need. Maybe you need a little of both, depending on the day.
A secret drawer may help you focus on and identify your solutions.
