The impression may have been given that nothing can be done for such families. While this is true for some, it is not for all provided that a trusting, reliable and supportive relationiship can be created between the doctor and/or nurse and the patient. However, it can take many years to establish such a relationship, and the professional worker will often be tested to see if he or she really is concerned. This testing can take several forms. In domiciliary family planning, it can mean being out when the doctor calls, complaining about the methods, forgetting to take Pills or to follow advice and so on. Sometimes the testing is to do with control and limits, particularly with some teenage mothers who both want and resent control. Feelings tend to be acted on rather than thought about. The task facing the professional is to survive, not retaliate and to think about the behaviour even when caught up in it. Sharing understanding of the behaviour and the unconscious need for it with the patient can enable her to be more aware of what she is doing. Only then can old patterns be broken.

*28/197/1*