North Star Conversations Transcript: Holding Steady in the Room—Rebecca Cho, M.D.
Dr. Rebecca Cho describes how she stays grounded with families in distress, using validation and calm presence to help them anchor.
Brandon Gimbel (00:00)
What helps you stay objective in the room when emotions are high, especially with worried, scared, frustrated parents?
Rebecca Cho (00:06)
Usually they're coming to us because things are really hard. The goal is to try to figure out where's that line where you provide enough space to allow the patient and or family members to be able to express those big emotions in a safe space and then help them anchor themselves. Sometimes anchoring means just validating, gently intervening, and helping them deescalate. To say, "This isn't crazy for you to feel this way." A lot of times people are experiencing big emotions, it can feel like they're out of control, and that out-of-control feeling further fuels the fire. We've all been there. This is a normal human response to something that's really hard or stressful.
Brandon Gimbel (00:52)
You say validating, I say naming. If I can accurately name what someone is feeling, they then feel understood. People escalate when they don't feel they feel misunderstood, unseen. We get louder as people, in the hope— in the desperate hope sometimes— that someone will see us. What I believe you are describing is recognizing their distress and seeing them. And then they calm.
Rebecca Cho (01:17)
Yeah. That's the human experience.
Brandon Gimbel (01:21)
Yes.