Talking Mats release 'To see ourselves as others see us' on Burns Night

Burns Night is an appropriate time for the Scotland-based Talking Mats group to launch its latest resource 'To see ourselves as others see us'.

The line comes from a poem inspired by, of all things, the progress of a head louse over a fine lady's bonnet. As the World Burns Club says, "Poor woman, little did she know that she would, with her head companion, be the subject of one of Burns' poems, on how we see ourselves, and how we think other people see us."

The resource was developed as part of an Economic & Social Research Council funded research project which looked at the impact of aphasia on close relationships. It assessed three levels of perspective: what people think about themselves, what they think about their partners, and what they think their partners think about them. It found there were often differences in the views of people with aphasia and their partners, and that this could lead to significant misunderstandings.

The Talking Mats tool is subtitled 'a resource for comparing perspectives and enhancing understanding within relationships'. The developers hope it will help clients and their families understand each other better and aid decision-making and goal-setting negotiations.