Communication Skills for Therapeutic Alliance in Healthcare

This report focuses on the critical role of communication skills in healthcare settings. It explores various aspects, including active listening, which enables therapists to understand patient concerns. The report emphasizes the importance of cultural competence in communication, ensuring respect for diverse backgrounds. It also delves into motivational interviewing, highlighting how to identify and address discrepancies to encourage positive change. Furthermore, the report discusses the significance of rolling with resistance and supporting self-efficacy to build a strong therapeutic alliance. Lastly, it underscores the need for effective training and ongoing monitoring to enhance the communication skills of healthcare professionals, thereby improving patient care and outcomes. The report uses various references to support its claims and provides a comprehensive overview of the topic.

N A M E O F T H E S T U D E N T
Therapeutic skills for
healthcare consumers

Communication skills for therapeutic
alliance with patient
Active listening
 Helps therapists to understand the issues faced by the healthcare
service user
 Helps the therapists to interpret the non verbal massages of the
client
 Ensure the clients that his or her concern are being listed to in a
care full way (Halkett et al., 2016)
Demonstrating Cultural competence:
 While communicating with the client demonstrating respect
towards his or her culture (Hennrick & Byrd, 2019)
 Develop the potential to think from the perspective of the client
 Avoiding questions that may demonstrate lack of cultural
competence

Indentifying components of motivational interview
Demonstrating empathy
 It involves listening in an attentive way so that the client can understand that
their concern are being listened to in an effective way
 Asking questions that demonstrate respect for the client, his or her culture as well
as concerns
 Avoiding asking distracting questions to the clients and ensure effective
communication while listening to the issues of the client (Syzdek et al., 2016).
Developing discrepancy
 Amplifying the discrepancy that has been identified by the client through
motivational questioning (Piatt & Chiasson, 2016)
 Using the discrepancies to enhance the awareness of the client and the
importance of change
 Avoiding asking the clients questions that can escalate his or feelings of grief
 Helping the client to recognize as well as elevate the importance of his or her life

Indentifying components of motivational interview
Rolling with resistance
 Abstaining from confronting any resistance directly
when encountering a resistance
 In order to develop therapeutic alliance , reflecting
the resistance and reflecting it in a way that decrease
the same
 Avoiding arguing for change
Supporting self efficacy
 Enhancing the confidence of the client by pointing
out his ability to change
 Expressing the belief that the client can change

Incorporating communication skills in clinical
practice
Providing effective training to the therapists to
develop effective communication skills
Educating the therapists about the importance of
communication skills while treating healthcare
service users (Paul & Moreno-Perez, 2019)
Regular monitoring of the quality of therapy
provided to the healthcare service users.
Identifying loopholes s associated with
communication skills of therapists
Eradicating them through training and education.

Reference list
Halkett, G., O'Connor, M., Aranda, S., Jefford, M., Merchant, S., York, D., ... &
Schofield, P. (2016). Communication skills training for radiation therapists:
preparing patients for radiation therapy. Journal of medical radiation
sciences, 63(4), 232-241.
Hennrick, H. C., & Byrd, M. (2019). Survivor–therapists and sexual-assailant–
clients: A unified approach to sexual communication skills building and
assault prevention. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 29(2), 138.
Paul, L., & Moreno-Perez, A. (2019). Beta Testing Can-Do-Tude: An Online
Intervention Using the Principles of Motivational Interviewing for
Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. On-Line Journal of Nursing Informatics,
23(1).
Piatt, J. A., & Chiasson, L. (2016). Impact of Motivational Interviewing on
Readiness for Change and Self-care Behaviours of an Assisted Living
Resident with Type I Diabetes. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 50(3), 228.
Syzdek, M. R., Green, J. D., Lindgren, B. R., & Addis, M. E. (2016). Pilot trial
of gender-based motivational interviewing for increasing mental health
service use in college men. Psychotherapy, 53(1), 124.