Welcome to your GSD conversation #1
Collaborating about your life with diabetes
In this activity, you will be asked to share important events related to your life and diabetes.
In Part 1 feel free to include any other important events in your life, not only diabetes and health-related events - whatever you feel is relevant to the situation you find yourself in right now.
In Part 2 you will be asked to record what you currently find challenging or difficult about living with diabetes. Your writing here and in other conversations does not have to be in sentences: bullet points are fine too. Your writing can be as long or as short you want.
Please remember that there are no right or wrong answers - just answers that are true for you!
Please note that the activity design shown in the video is an old format. The downloadable activity (below) design will look slightly different.
Open your Downloads folder to open Conversation+1.docs file, which should contain the following reflection sheet:
About GSD
From research, we know that the GSD method can help adults with diabetes to make changes to their personal circumstances, which enable them to better manage their diabetes.
In the GSD program diabetes educators communicate with their clients in a series of ‘conversations’ over the period of time. Each conversation has a guided structure that assists you to work through the activities alone or/ and together. Your diabetes educator will decide which conversations will be mots useful to you.
However each conversation is delivered as a collaboration between you and your diabetes educator. Below is a remined for the collaboration principles that underpin each conversation.
Invitation to collaborate
What should be the focus of our collaboration?
Something that is currently challenging or difficult for you in everyday life with diabetes.
What is your role and my role?
Both yours and my knowledge and experience are necessary.
Both of us must be active and utilise our time in the best possible way on aspects we find important
Part of the time we will be working separately- and part of the time we will work together
How should we work together?
It is OK that you and I perceive your situation differently
Disagreeing is OK
Having and showing emotions are OK
It is necessary that we know each other's opinions
We will use reflection sheets – but what can they be used for?
You can use them for reflection and for gaining insight into your situation – in peace and quiet
We can use them for gaining a general understanding of what is important in your situation
They can make it easier to talk about the more difficult aspects of diabetes
They can help you making decisions tailored to your needs and therefore possible to maintain
They help us to stay on course.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Information shared in the reflection sheets between you and your diabetes educator stays between you and your diabetes educator and is subject to the data sharing and privacy adopted by their practice.
Deakin University (the creator of this program) will not have access to your answers as you complete reflection sheets.