Does Participation in Communication Skills Training Increase Student Levels of Communicated Empathy?

Abstract

Empathic communication is regarded as one of the most important abilities for social workers and health professionals in their work with clients. in this study one group of social worker students who participated in a 3 month course of intensive communication skills training was compared to a group of students following the ordinary social work course of study. The groups were compared in relation to communicated empathy as measured on the Carkhuff Scale of Empathic Communication before and after the training period. The analysis showed that students who participated in the skill training program increased their level of empathic communication significantly. The control group did not increase their level. The results are discussed and compared with the results of other published studies on the effect of communication training on the level of communicated empathy.