Therapeutic Relationship

Some of the core personal and professional qualities expected of a good Health care professional can be interpreted as core conditions of care. These core conditions provide a fundamental basis from which the therapeutic relationship can develop. They include human warmth, empathy and sincerity, evidence of trustworthiness and honesty, integrity, commitment and competence. They can promote trust and develop a safe environment in which the client can relax, explore and grow. Warmth sincerity, honesty and integrity may naturally exist as human qualities within many individuals. Other qualities may need to be developed or enhanced. For example, many individuals are naturally empathetic, but may have difficulties supporting people through deeply emotional experiences.                                               (O'Carroll, M. And Park, A, R, J. 2007)

Empathy is often misunderstood as sympathy or total understanding. Empathy as a responding skill provides a means of acknowledging and identifying with the emotions expressed by the client. It can help facilitate understanding and can clarify issues for both client and health care professional. Trustworthiness is also assumed to be a natural human quality, the gradual development of   it can provide an opportunity for trust – building through the provision of mutual respect and a none judgmental atmosphere, the establishment of emotional boundaries, the maintenance of confidentiality and a overall person centred approach over time will establish a strong relationship with the client.   (Watkins, P. 2003)

When a client displays server challenging behaviours a safe and therapeutic approach would need to be adopted, Emerson et al (1987) suggests the following as a definition of severely challenging behaviour "Severely challenging behavior refers to behavior of such an intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety of the person or others is likely to be placed in serious jeopardy, or behavior which is likely...