Discussion Post: Health Services
Educational Nugget of Gold
• Empathic communication involves the ability of the social worker to perceive accurately and sensitively the inner feelings of the client and to communicate his or her understanding of those feelings in language attuned to the client's experiencing of the moment.
• The first dimension of empathy, empathic recognition, means demonstrating through accurate reflection of feelings that the social worker comprehends the client's inner experiencing.
• For social workers, it is not enough to grasp what the client is feeling and experiencing and reflect that understanding back.
• Social workers are also called on by their code of ethics to take empathic action.
• Empathic communication plays a vital role in nurturing and sustaining the helping relationship and in providing the vehicle through which the social worker becomes emotionally significant and influential in the client's life.
This discussion should be submitted to include a reference page.
o What is empathy?
o Why is it important in the relationship with a client?
o What is reciprocal empathy and why is it important?
The response should include a reference list. Using one-inch margins, Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space and APA style of writing and citations.