The focus of week five for SOWK 486 is on communication skills. There are many that Hepworth et al. (2023) term as verbal following skills. Rogers (1957), who developed the concept of person-centered counseling, described what he called the facilitative condition. This includes empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence. He proposed that when clinicians can maintain these aspects, they can support and help promote positive changes in their clients. The plan for today is to talk about the core skills that help clinicians help their clients. The plan is as follows:

• Communicating Informed Consent, Confidentiality, and Agency Policies
• The Facilitative Conditions
• Empathy
• Authenticity
• Praise

Learning Objectives

• Describe the requirements of substance use disorder confidentiality
• Demonstrate an understanding of facilitative conditions (empathy, respect, authenticity) and how to apply them in helping relationships.
• Practice recognizing and responding to client emotions using levels of empathic communication and reciprocal empathy strategies.
• Apply principles of authenticity to build trust and connection.