Begin by truly listening to the patient’s concerns. Validate their feelings: Acknowledge their skepticism as a legitimate response, which helps them feel respected and understood. Ask open-ended questions: Encourage them to express their thoughts and fears fully, allowing you to understand the root of their skepticism.

One more tactic to use: health demographics! Numbers make patients feel that they are not alone in facing their conditions. Data is tangible evidence that is an enough motive to earn patient’s trust.

When faced with a skeptical patient it is important to meet them where they are at in their health journey. Have they done and tried all the things and still feel terrible? Most likely they have. Then it is time for me to ask about and listen meaningfully to their concerns and their past experiences. When the patient feels heard and seen is when you can build trust in your working relationship together. I can offer my own health journey as both research and data at how they too could achieve healing. Being honest and willing to meet the patient where they are in the health journey, even if that means starting with the tiniest baby step, it is still a step in the right direction towards them feeling better.