Exam 1 - Empathy

WR? "I know you've been through a lot lately. The depression will eventually pass."

Placating/False Reassurance

Example of Paraphrasing:

"I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and arthritis. Now I've been told that i have diabetes too!" Response: "You seem to be dealing with quite a few medical problems."

Example of Paraphrasing vs. Empathic Responding:

"I really enjoy volunteering at the hospital. It's very exciting to meet so many different types of people" Paraphrase: You like meeting new people Empathic: Sounds like you are enjoying meeting new people at the hospital. *more examples in slides

Example of Summarizing:

"for the last several weeks, i get light headed when i stand up, but i haven't changed my medications lately, so i think it must be something else." Response: "So, for the past several weeks, you have been experiencing light headedness when you stand up, but you haven't changed your meds lately and you think that it might be related to something else"

Generalizing Responses

-another form of reassurance -takes the focus off of the patient's experience (can make it seem more like a general statement and focus on everyone as a whole) -may result in inadequate listening

What is controlling?

-every patient is an autonomous human being with inherent value so it is important to find out what the patient wants from their treatment -HC providers can adopt a stance of paternalizm or authoritarianism. -GOAL: help improve patient's health and well being -the goal is NOT to get patients to do what we tell them to do.

Advising Responses

-fall into our role as 'experts' -we need to make a distinction between advising the patient on medical matters and advising the patient on personal matters -We need to be cautious about conveying to patient that we don't believe them capable of arriving at their own decisions. -inappropriate advising may create a dependent patient.

What is depersonalizing?

-focusing on problems -talking to someone accompanying the patient and not the patient -ignoring the impact of the disease or treatment on the patient's life -engaging in a monologue rather than a dialogue

Judging Responses

-tendency to judge or evaluate the feelings of another -conveying to a patient that they shouldn't feel a certain way. This may indicate to them that it is not safe to confide in you.

Understanding Responses

-the listener conveys understanding of the feeling without judging the feelings to be right or wrong -empathetic form of response

What is stereotyping?

-there are negative or postive stereotypes that affect the quality of communication -may impair our ability to listen without judgement (could just hear the pieces of info that confirm you stereotype) -we must learn to recognize our stereotypes in order to overcome them

Distracting Responses

-this is a protection response from the listener because: 1. we may not know how to respond 2. we may not be comfortable with the subject 3. we may be too self-involved to want to engage

Quizzing or Probing Responses

-we play the role as 'questioner' because we have to gather all of the facts -probing for info when a patient is expressing a feeling shifts the emphasis to the content rather than the patient's feelings

Placating/Falsely Reassuring Responses

-we try to make someone who is experiencing negative feelings "better" -this type of response if often a way to make us feel more comfortable. -we may do this to protect ourselves from becoming emotionally involved.

Listening Skills: Empathic Responding

1. Communicating that you understand someone's feelings establishes RAPPORT. 2. this is the key to the development of the "therapeutic alliance" 3. To establish trust, the listener must be sincere and must convey acceptance.

What are some barriers to empathy?

1. Planning what you are going to say next while the other person is talking. 2. Jumping to conclusions before the message is complete. 3. Focusing on content only.

What are the barriers to helping relationships?

1. Stereotyping 2. Controlling 3. Depersonalizing

What qualities make up empathy?

1. don't try to change emotional situations 2. don't judge emotional situations 3. don't try to stop emotional situations

Listening Skills: Summarizing

1. ensures that you have heard all of the critical pieces. 2. Gives the patient an opportunity to add things that they may have forgotten.

Why is emphatic responding important?

1. helps patient come to trust the practioner 2. helps patient understand their own feelings 3. facilitates the patients with ther own problem solving abilities 4. Helps patients feel freer to explore different solutions and ways to cope

What do listening skills include?

1. non-verbal communication 2. summarizing 3. paraphrasing 4. empathic responding ('reflection of feeling' statements)

WR? "You should go see a therapist."

Advising

Listening Skills: Paraphrasing

Convey, in your own words, your understanding of what has just been said back to the sender.

Define Empathy.

Direct identification with, understanding of, and vicarious experience of another person's situation, feelings, and motives. You must have the ability and the willingness to understand the thoughts, feeling and struggles from THEIR point of view. View it as i AM you rather than i AND you.

WR? "What about your new blood pressure medication? Are you having any side-effects?"

Distracting

What is the difference between paraphrasing and empathic responding?

Empathy serves primarily as a reflection of the patient's FEELINGS rather than focusing on the CONTENT of the communication. -empathic statements are not bold or declarative, rather they are tentative and provisional

WR? "Me too! My allergies are really acting up right now."

Generalizing

Example of Quzzing/Probing Responses:

How long does he make you wait?

Example of Judging Response:

I don't blame you for being upset. You shouldn't have to wait so long. -because evaluating their thoughts

Example of Generalizing Response:

I know how you feel. I have to wait for my MD too. Nobody feels they get enough time from their MD.

Example of Placating/Falsely Reassuring Response:

I'm sure he was just having a bad day. It will be better next time. *main part is the "it will be better next time". this explains the idea that is trying to reassure the patient that everything will be okay.

What is a good way to start out sentence in an empathic response?

It sounds like you are...................

WR? "You shoulding take on that burden all by yourself."

Judging

Types of Responses:

Judging, Advising, Placating/falsely reassuring, generalizing, quizzing/probing, distracting, understanding.

Example of Distracting Responses:

Let's talk about your new prescription.

WR? "Do you also have a runny nose?"

Probing/Quizzing

Example of Advising Response:

Tell him how you feel. Otherwise, find another MD. -this pretty much tells them that you are going to tell them how to solve their problem.

What happens when we are empathetic/empathic?

We attempt to feel WITH the person. This takes effort. It is NOT passive and is an attempt to understand someone else's feelings.

Can Empathy be learned?

YESSSS!

Example of Understanding Responses:

You seem to feel that you are not getting the care that you need. * the response "i understand" is not an empathic response

What is sympathy?

when we feel for that person. It is natural and is a PASSIVE response to a situation.

What does listening have to do with empathy?

you must be a good listener to be empathic. Have a caring approach. Not listening well in the context of medical care can have devestating consequences.