Clinical Foundations: Empathy, reflective listening, and the art of asking good questions

Therapists know the importance of empathy, listening, and asking questions. However, sometimes the importance of clinical demands overshadow these basic clinical skills we may have learned ‘way back when’. This course is a refresher to remind clinicians at all levels about the importance of empathic listening and the art of asking good questions.

You will learn to:

• Explore the importance of developing and maintaining empathy throughout the therapeutic relationship, including specific ways to exercise this muscle.

• Define empathic listening, as well as understand its importance in therapy.

• Understand the connection between empathic listening and asking good questions.

• Use specific examples of empathic listening and asking questions in their clinical practice.

“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.” – Alfred Adler.

“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.” – John Steinbeck.

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” – Mother Teresa.

This course defines empathy and what it really means to listen. Randi, Dale & Rachel have a conversation that reframes and dives deeper than just saying, “And how does that make you feel?”