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Therapeutic Communication Reflection
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THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION REFLECTION 2
Empathy, Warmth, and Genuineness
Empathy, warmth, and genuineness in establishing therapeutic connections with clients in
the human services sector. According to France and Weikel (2019), social services need to
initiate a deep therapeutic connection with their customers to assist their patients. Notably,
human service professionals need to reduce the probability of defensiveness and increase the
chances of voluntary collaboration. Psychologist Carl Roger asserts the necessity of empathy,
warmth, and genuineness in fostering good interactions between employees and customers.
Empathy entails comprehending another person and expressing your comprehension of that
person. France and Weikel bring forth various definitions of warmth. They include recognizing
the client's fundamental worth as a human being independent of any assessment of the person's
behavior, refraining from offering judgmental comments, communicating your own opinions
about the issues on discussion, and communicating that you care. Genuineness is the third
interpersonal skill discussed by France and Weikel. It implies the ability where an individual to
mean what you say. Genuineness has a substantial and beneficial effect on customer
development (France & Weikel, 2019). As with empathy and warmth, genuineness entails doing
some actions and avoiding others.
While establishing a therapeutic relationship, empathy, warmth, and genuineness play a
vital interpersonal communication. France and Weikel point out that some actions either
enhance or weaken certain abilities. Empathy refers to the capacity to comprehend another
person’s sentiments and communicate to them that you understand what they say. Peterson
emphasizes the importance of listening above hearing. Human service professionals note that it is
critical that our hearing and responses be free of judgment and prejudice. Scholars point out that
it is not enough to exhibit empathy; we must also convey to the customer that we understand.
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The writers explain how human service professionals use the skill of warmth to demonstrate their
understanding to clients. Warmth refers to the behavioral characteristic that communicates that
an individual's care and concern. It is critical to acknowledge the basic human values to maintain
warmth with other individuals. France and Weikel (2019) demonstrate how acknowledging
everyone's right to their values, views, and attitude does not imply that you agree with everything
they say or do, but rather that you treat everyone with non-judgmental respect.
Peterson (2015) discusses the distinctions between the responsibilities of the speaker and
the listener. According to Peterson, the speaker owns the issue by expressing their ideas and
emotions, but the listener is not accountable for resolving it. The listener's job is to provide a
secure environment for sharing, comprehending the speaker, and explaining the problem.
Empathy, warmth, and genuineness complement each other in the human services sector. To
demonstrate empathy, one must have a warm demeanor, and to exhibit this demeanor, you must
be authentic in your emotions. As Stewart (2012) said, the aspects of communication make it a
complex event, and handling it should reflect such. Stewart asserts that facial expression, tone of
voice, and choice of words all convey how you feel, and this is difficult to fake. A therapist
develops an innate capacity for empathy and concern for others by being a real person.
These readings gave me a great deal of insight into why I experience communication
difficulties. While I do have some empathy for others, some do not think I do. Because of my
reserved personality, I have difficulty expressing emotion or demonstrating real concern,
especially to strangers. For instance, when I worked in a restaurant, I came across dissatisfied
customers. Some of them claimed that I come off as harsh or uncaring to their concerns. I face
difficulties expressing my real feelings or emotions, much more so when dealing with a stranger.
I see that talking with people that I understand is critical. In addition, being more open is
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necessary to express our emotions fully. According to Stewart’s book, Bridges Not Walls,
empathetic listening allows individuals to comprehend each other entirely. Conversely, dialogic
listening promotes dialogue as a shared activity that encourages individuals to concentrate on
and express their perspectives on an issue (Stewart, 2012). Stewart notes that it is critical to
detect that the worker comprehends and conveys your comprehension to the client. These
readings referred to the ability to reflect and allow your discussion partners comprehend what
you heard and understood in a conversation. It enables them to explain their thoughts and rectify
any misunderstandings when required. France and Weikel (2019) expand on this concept further
by stating that simplicity is insufficient. The objective is to articulate in your own words your
interpretation of the client's experience. It might include ideas and emotions that the client has
not verbalized explicitly. The readings include the same concepts, although France & Weikel
seem to emphasize the visuals more.
Matthew 7: 1-2 NIV. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you
judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank
in your own eye? These abilities or actions contribute to my spiritual journey since God
commands Christians to love one another unconditionally and authentically. As Christians, we
should refrain from judging other Christians and non-believers. While it is often hard to
comprehend others' choices, we should remember that as a Christian, God has asked me to be
understanding and non-judgmental.
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References
France, K., & Weikel, K. (2019). Helping Skills for Human Service Workers: Building
Relationships and Encouraging Productive Change. Charles C Thomas Publisher.
Petersen, J. (2015). Why don't we listen better?: Communicating & connecting in relationships.
Stewart, J. (2012). Bridges not walls: A book about interpersonal communication. Dubuque,
Iowa: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
