Active Listening and Empathy

Empathy?

Ability and willingness to understand the patient’s emotions/feelings and struggles from the patient’s point of view

Benefits to using empathy?

Builds relationship/rapport/trust

Humanizes/respects

Engagement

Patient/Pharmacist Satisfaction

Conflict Resolution

When do you use empathy?

When someone gives verbal/nonverbal signs indicating they are experiencing emotion

Responding empathetically builds trust/makes the other feel heard

Very important when there is resistance to change

How to communicating with empathy?

Take their perspective

Staying out of judgement

Identifying their emotion

Communicating your understanding

How is empathy perspective taking?

Its not empathy if the focus is on your and your comfort → I statements

Takes real emotional work, and the payoff is trust/connection

How to stay out of judgement?

Fully engage in listening → SOLER, not waiting your turn to speak, not multitasking

Assume people are doing their best

Making a recommendation is NOT apart of communicating empathy

How do you express empathy?

Keep it short and to the point

Avoid minimizer → a little, sort of

Use statements not questions