We are getting into some of my favorite content. See you all on Wednesday.
Unit Introduction and What You Will Learn
The focus of week five for SOWK 486 is on communication skills. There are many that Hepworth et al. (2023) term as verbal following skills. Rogers (1957), who developed the concept of person-centered counseling, described what he called the facilitative condition. This includes empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence. He proposed that when clinicians can maintain these aspects, they can support and help promote positive changes in their clients. The plan for today is to talk about the core skills that help clinicians help their clients. The plan is as follows:
- The Facilitative Conditions
- Empathy
- Authenticity
- Praise
Learning Objectives This Week Include:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the facilitative conditions (empathy, respect, authenticity) and their application in helping relationships.
- Practice recognizing and responding to client emotions using levels of empathic communication and reciprocal empathy strategies.
- Apply principles of authenticity to build trust and connection.
Unit Assignments
Read
- Hepworth et al. (2023) Chapters 5 and 6
A-01: Class Engagement and Attendance
Attend class.
A-02: Chapter Reading Quizzes
Complete the reading quiz, W-05 A-02 for Chapters Hepworth et al. (2023) 05 and 06, before class on Wednesday.
Unit Resources
You can listen to this week’s podcast episode for the reading Deep Dive on Chapters 5 and 6: Empathy, Authenticity, and Verbal Following Skills, or listen to the full series Deep Dive: Hepworth et al. (2023).
Cultural humility is an important aspect of communication. I value cultural humility. Chavez (2012) offers a 30-minute documentary, Cultural Humility: People, Principles, and Practices, that helps understand this concept.
We will listen to a short excerpt from Brené Brown’s TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability, during class. The whole thing is great, and I would recommend it if you are interested. It also gives a good example of qualitative research. It is about 20 minutes.
In the excerpt we use, Brown discusses Wiseman (2007) and her definition of empathy. Wiseman’s paper is related to nursing practice. Still, the general concepts in her Toward a Holistic Conceptualization of Empathy for Nursing Practice are beneficial, and I’ve attached it if you are interested in reviewing it.
The Lecture Videos tab in the MyHeritage course has class recordings.
Reference
Brown, B. (2010). The power of vulnerability [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability
Chavez, V. (2012). Cultural humility: People, principles and practices [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/SaSHLbS1V4w
Hepworth, D. H., Vang, P. D., Blakey, J. M., Schwalbe, C., & Evans, C. (2023). Empowerment Series: Direct Social Work Practice Theory and Skills (11th ed.). Cengage Learning, Inc.
Wiseman, T. (2007). Toward a holistic conceptualization of empathy for nursing practice. Advances in Nursing Science, 30(3), E61–E72. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ANS.0000286630.00011.e3
To-Do List
- A-01: Class Engagement: Participate in Class Wednesday at 5:30 PM
- Read Hepworth et al. (2023), chapters five and six.
- Optionally Read: Wiseman (2007), and watch Brown (2010) and Chavez (2012)
- Reading Quiz for W-05 A-02 for Hepworth et al. (2023) Chapter(s) 05 and 06 is due at 5:30 PM before class via MyHeritage