A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning, while they are eating breakfast, the young woman, Steph sees her neighbor hang her wash outside.That laundry is not very clean, said Steph, she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap. Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, Steph would make the same comments. About one month later, Steph was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: “Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this.” Her husband said: “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!” In what ways do we need to clean our own windows on our clients? In what ways might we help our clients clean theirs? Sometimes, the most important thing we can get our clients to see is a whole new perspective on some issue that has locked or blocked their way of looking into one seemingly un-moveable view. Consider asking your clients to sit in your chair and ask them what they might say or observe about their health behaviour issue from this perspective. Have them try on new lenses from glass-frames you purchased from the dollar store, or, envision the view from the window of their favourite room in their home; then ask, what does their situation look like from this new perspective. Often, it might be a matter of changing our own perspective about a client’s potential for change. No matter if it’s the health professional or the client, sometimes it really is a matter of a “clean window” in starting a behaviour shift.
