Therapeutic Relationships
Outline of Syllabus Contents
1. Individual and cultural prejudices, personal areas of strength and weakness,
health beliefs, the ability to give and receive feedback, the ability to self-assess.
2. The patient/practitioner relationship - communication skills to include models of
conscious and unconscious communication, building empathy, transference
and counter-transference, setting boundaries, proper professional conduct,
beginning and endings in a therapeutic relationship, dealing with sensitive
issues such as bereavement and loss.
3. Aromatherapy within the complementary and conventional health care sector.
Students will be provided with an overview of other complementary therapies.
Students will also learn when a client’s needs are outside of their level of
expertise and know when to refer to other healthcare professionals.
Recommended Reading
Brown, G. Esdaile, S. Ryan, S. (2003) Becoming an Advanced Healthcare
Practitioner. Butterworth Heineman
Mitchell, A. Cormack, M. (1998) The Therapeutic Relationship in Complementary
Health care. Churchill Livingstone
Featherstone C (1996) Medical Marriage Scotland, the Findhorn Press
Therapeutic Relationships
Aims
a. To support self-development leading to effective communication
including listening, therapeutic communication skills and empathy as part of
the therapeutic relationship not only with clients but with other health care
professionals
b. To encourage the adaptation of skills to meet the differing needs of
clients
c. To reinforce the need for life long learning and an understanding of how
personal and psychological factors influence the therapeutic relationship.
d. To enable students to appreciate the importance of and need for
continuous professional development, recognising that learning is a lifelong process, and that part of this process is concerned with the ability to
frame enquiry within the context of personal practice, reflecting and
analysing in a systematic and critical way
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the component, students will be able to:
i.Carry out an effective consultation, utilising the skills of listening,
observation and non verbal communication to develop rapport and ensure
client ease.
ii.Give clear and appropriate information whilst maintaining a professional
relationship with clients.
iii.Identify areas to work on for own self-development and supervision and
formulate a plan or program for doing this in the short, medium and long
term.
