Empothic communication and its effect on client outcome

Abstract

Empathy is at the heart of any helping relationship, without which there is no basis for practice. It is considered to be “one of the most delicate and powerful ways we have of using ourselves,” and yet, it is rarely observed in “full bloom” in the nursing relationship. This experimental study was undertaken to determine whether high and low levels of empathic communication offered by two nurse therapists were factors in changing the self-concept of institutionalized aged clients during group therapy. It was a partial replication and extension of a previous nursing study that dealt with nurse therapist congruence and its effect on self-concept change of the aged residing in a nursing home and residential home.