Communicating during periods of heightened distress can be challenging unless you have a ‘routine’ that has been established over a period of time that works with the individual that you are supporting. The speed of information during this time can cause information to be missed or taken out of sequence or out of context. Knowing how to draw isn’t necessary for the individual you are working with. The idea is to document the conversation’s main points so that the speed and attentional issues are less of an issue. Having words linked together on a page and then linking pages together can help others follow the flow of the conversation and can help act as a reminder of what has been said to use for clarification or to support the speaker that something has already been discussed or agreed upon to help reduce distress about what will happen next or how to solve a particular issue. This can help the individual start to better regulate themselves without the support of someone needing to talk them through it step by step as they can take the pieces of paper away with them to remind them of what is happening / happened and how it is going to be or has been managed.
Resources: Comic Strip conversations by Carol Gray. Being able to illustrate is not necessary as a therapist, yet knowing details of how graphic styles are formed can assist in using greater visual details to support comprehension e.g. Back of a Napkin (Dan Roam), XPLANE