Shifting our Perspective > > Leads to Building More Understanding

It is helpful to pause and be curious what might be happening in a person’s life and how that might be influencing their words and actions. Shifting our perspective and changing the kinds of questions we ask can lead to empathetic and non-judgmental forms of support.

People may respond to different circumstances, events, and conditions in ways that may be hard for other people to understand. For example, a young person in school might be acting angry and disrupting class.

For example:

When we shift our thinking it removes blame and allows us to reflect on the events and conditions that people have experienced that impact their lives.

  • It can help us to understand behaviors that in the situation may be appropriate responses to a person feeling triggered or unsafe.  

  • Instead of thinking something is wrong with a person, we can pause and be curious what might be going on in their lives: “What is going on? Is everything OK?”  

  • The goal is to offer a non-judgmental presence to help people feel heard and understood and help build a sense of safety.

  • Keep in mind that people may not want to talk about their experiences or may even react defensively, and that is OK.