"When working as a DWP Work Coach, I interviewed a person who was a bit mentally unbalanced at the time. I was alone in the office, and there were few others in the building when this person had something of an outburst. As they described their experiences, they grew agitated and started raising their voice, jumping around, and flailing their arms. Their behaviour was a bit alarming, but I stayed calm and maintained eye contact. After a moment, they loudly asked what I thought about what they'd told me. I calmly responded by telling them I understood what they were feeling and invited them to sit back down and regain their composure and that I would be happy to share my thoughts on how I could help them. The goal was to help them improve their life. I focused on that, and we made considerable progress. At the end of our meeting, they apologised for their outburst and thanked me for giving them hope."
