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Communicational Skills

Two people communicating

Welcome to this training package focused on foundational communication skills within physical and mental health settings. Health providers interact with patients daily, and establishing a therapeutic environment is essential. This involves communicating in a manner that is welcoming, safe, respectful, and hopeful.

Effective communication skills are crucial for cultivating this type of environment. Positive interactions between health providers and patients are vital for building rapport and establishing successful therapeutic relationships, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes. While positive communication is important in every interaction, it becomes especially crucial when discussing challenging topics.

This training offers a balanced approach, combining informative content, observations of skills in action, and opportunities for practice and application.

The intended audience for this training series includes faculty and mentors teaching communication skills in healthcare.

Materials:
This series consists of three PowerPoint presentations (approximately 40 minutes of instruction each) with instructor guidance for physical health care settings, and three additional PowerPoint presentations (approximately 40 minutes of instruction each) with instructor guidance for mental health settings:
Module 1 – Positive Communication and Barriers to Communication,
Module 2 – Active Listening Skills; and
Module 3 – Putting it All Together: Applying Communication Skills in Your Setting.

Embedded YouTube videos are included in the modules at key points in the instruction, featuring commentary, examples of key concepts, exercises, and strategies.

For training materials, click here.

Please contact: Dr. Ann Murphy at murphyaa@shp.rutgers.edu for more information if needed.