Improving Therapeutic Communication

Book excerpt: Throughout the book, the authors focus on the basic skills thatfacilitate communications in therapy (empathy, respect,authenticity, relating in the here-and-now, and confrontation) andexplore specific methods of using them. These skills--whichresearch shows are crucial to effective therapy--enable therapistsand counselors to * Empathize in a caring way with the feelings of clients * Become receptive to clients in a warm, respectful, andnonjudgmental way * Constructively share feelings with clients in a natural, openmanner * Therapeutically utilize moment-to-moment, here-and-nowinteraction * Make clients aware of their inconsistencies and discrepancieswithout arousing antagonism or defensiveness