This document summarizes key aspects of therapeutic communication for health professionals from a chapter in a textbook. It outlines how communication works, involving a message, sender, method of transmission, and receiver. It emphasizes the importance of establishing rapport, maintaining accuracy, appropriateness, confidentiality and clarification. Nonverbal communication such as body language and proximity also significantly impact interactions. The document stresses that health professionals should actively listen to patients, validate their feelings, provide feedback and learning tools to effectively engage in therapeutic communication.

1. Chapter 1
HOSLEY & MOLLE-MATTHEWS: A PRACTICAL
GUIDE TO THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION FOR
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

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Introduction to Communication: Building the
Framework

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Chapter Highlights
How Communication Works: Involves steps and responsibilities
How We Communicate: Verbal and nonverbal
Starting Off Right: Stress the importance of first impressions
Keep Communication on Track: Important to keep
communication on the topic but caution students that they must allow
room for patients to voice their needs

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Introduction to Communication:
Building Framework
Communication is vital to survival
Transmits our needs and wants
Needed for socialization
Gives pleasure, relieves stress, forms bond

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Transmission Must Be:
Accurate: correct and as exact as possible
Appropriate: for the setting
Confidential: all patient communication must be transmitted with this
in mind
Must establish a rapport. Communication will be better if a positive
relationship is made

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To Develop a Rapport
Positive attitude
Pleasant presentation: not rushed, show courtesy
Good communication skills: good grammar, no slang

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How Communication Works:
Elements Needed
Message to be transmitted: the topic of the conversation
A sender: The person initiating the communication is the first sender,
but role changes between receiver and sender
A method for transmitting: voice, phone, written words
A ready and receptive receiver: The listener must be ready and
willing to communicate, if not, the communication will not happen
Clarification and verification: essential to have accurate
transmission
Figure 1-1

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How Communication Works:
Elements Needed
Clarification: to make something easier to understand
Verification: to ensure the message was accurate or true

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3 Steps in the Process
1. Preparatory, Orientation Step
Introduces participants
Forms mutual agreement to exchange information:
Without agreement from both parties to discuss information, exchange
can not occur

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3 Steps in the Process
2. Maintenance Step
Focuses on task at hand
Works to meet participants’ needs
Health care worker – directs – does not control: stress that
health care workers must help to lead the conversation but can’t be rigid
and obstruct patient or family ideas

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3 Steps in the Process
3. Termination or Conclusion Step
Occurs when exchange is successful
Dynamics – remain the same

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Your Responsibilities to the
Patient
Be ready to communicate
Be familiar with patient history: Example: history of cancer, heart
disease
Look for barriers: hearing, language, speech: covered in detail in
later chapters
Demonstrate compassion and courtesy
Be objective: understand that differences in culture and personality
will affect communication – discussed in later chapters

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Your Responsibilities to the
Patient
Clarify messages: be sure that the message was accurately
understood
Validate patient feelings:“I understand your concerns”, “You are
scared”
Provide feedback: “Correct, take this medication twice a day”
Provide learning tools: more detail in later chapters – reading
materials, pictures

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Legal Aspects of
Communication
Remain within your scope of practice
HIPAA
Patient confidentiality

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Your Patient’s Responsibilities
Be an active partner: Patients should offer solutions, ideas,
problems
Be truthful
Provide needed information: Should not hide or conceal
Show interest in wellness and self-care: Should be interested in
independent care

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How We Communicate
1.Using words – Verbal
2.Using body language – Nonverbal: most common way but
often forgotten or not taken into account

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Verbal Communication
Must be polite, pleasant
Must be grammatically correct
Avoid colloquialisms (regional slang)

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Nonverbal Communication
Non-language sounds
Paralanguage:more important than verbal; cannot hide your feelings
1.Quality: thorough, accurate, quick, and timid
2.Volume: soft, normal, screaming
3.Pitch: high, low
4.Voice Tone: pleasant, sarcastic, silly

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Written Communication
Clear
Concise
Accurate

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Using Body Language
1.Kinesics: the study of body position and movement as related to
communication
2.Proxemics: he study of personal spatial distances and their effect on
behavior

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Kinesics
Body movements
Gestures
Eye movements
Reveals inner feelings

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Proxemics
Spatial relationships
Physical closeness
Many factors affect physical distance

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Touch as Communication Tool
Therapeutic: human touch can be very calming and reassuring
Shows emotional support
Be aware of cultural differences: example – tapping someone on
the shoulder may be viewed as a rude gesture by one culture and accepted
by another

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Starting Off Right
Use proper form to address patient: use patient’s full name,
unless patient requests otherwise
Maintain professional distance: do not overstep your bounds;
avoid discussing personal patient problems unless related to chief
complaint

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Empathy
*to identify with or understand another’s situation, feelings, or motives
Identify with patient
Deeper level of understanding

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Sympathy
*a feeling or expression of pity or sorrow for someone else’s distress
Care
Feel pity
Compassion

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Keep Communication on Track
Know goal of communication: what do you want to get out of the
conversation?
Avoid clichéd statements
Avoid false reassurance: do not say things like “Everything is going
to be fine” or “You won’t die”

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Keep Communication on Track
Avoid idioms
Do not moralize: avoid saying things like “God would be unhappy with
that” or “homosexuality is wrong
Caution with your body movements
Encourage patient suggestions

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Summary
How can you apply this information to your job?
What are the challenges?
What are the benefits?