Pic 0: Scene opens to Linda seated in a living room background.
LINDA: Thanks for practicing talking with Sydney. It can be tough to talk about, but important. Like with my family, I figure anything we can do to break the cycle of hereditary cancer, we should do it. If that means I gotta have a few conversations with my siblings and aunts and uncles, I’m game.
Thinking about talking to your family, is there anything you’d like to practice more?
The options are:
The learner chooses the response option: “Being positive.”
LINDA: Sure, let’s practice that!
What if you started talking to a family member, and right off the bat, they said “I can already tell this is bad news.”
What would you say?
The options are:
Learner chooses the response option: “It’s important news about our health.”
LINDA: Right!
It’s not good news, exactly… but we don’t want to make it sound all bad, either. Something like “it’s important news about our health” strikes that balance.
Is there anything else you want to practice?
Learner chooses the response option from earlier menu: “Offering emotional support.”
LINDA: You got it.
What if a family member said, “This is all too much”?
What would you say?
The options are:
The learner chooses the response option: “I know, it’s a lot to take in.”
LINDA: Right!
“It’s important to understand” pushes against their reaction. And “don’t worry” kinda brushes it off. You want to come alongside it, like “I know it’s a lot.” When they’ve worked through their reaction, you can keep going with info and next steps.
Is there anything else you want to practice?
Learner chooses the response option from earlier menu: “Brainstorming next steps.”
LINDA: Okay, let’s practice.
What if you were sharing some links and names of experts, and your family member said, “Thanks, but I don’t know if I’ll look at any of this…”
What would you say?
The options are:
Learner chooses the response option: “I’ll send you the links. I’m happy to talk about this any time if you want.”
LINDA: Right!
You want to strike a balance between pushing them too hard, like “you need to take this seriously,” and backing off too much, like “forget it.” A good way to do that is to give them information, maybe point out a step they could take, and give them space to think and make their own decisions.
Is there anything else you want to practice?
Learner chooses the response option from earlier menu: “I’m good.”
LINDA: Sure thing.
You can replay the conversation between Sydney and Sofia as many times as you like. And if you have any more questions about family cancer risk, genetic counseling and testing, or how to talk to family, you can find links in the Resources section. You can also find links to organizations that have helplines and other services.
So now that we’ve talked… How ready are you to talk to your relatives about health risks that might run in the family?
The options are:
Learner chooses the response option: “Fairly ready.”
LINDA: Good for you! I wish I'd been that ready!
And how confident are you that you could handle that conversation well?
The options are:
Learner chooses the response option: “Fairly confident.”
LINDA: Huh! I could have used your confidence.
Now, if you don’t mind me asking, how helpful has our time today been? You can be honest!
The options are:
The learner chooses the response option: “Very helpful.”
LINDA: Got it. Glad I could help.
Thanks for stopping by today, and feel free to come back any time.