Fall 2025 SOWK 486w Week 05 - Communication Skills Day 01

A presentation at Heritage University in September 2025 by Jacob Campbell and is tagged with Heritage University, BASW Program, SOWK 486w

Two silhouette profiles face each other on a brown background. Prominent text reads, 'Communication Skills: Conveying Empathy & Authenticity, Verbal Following, Exploring & Focusing Skills.' Additional text notes course details and instructor at Heritage University.

Slide with text discussing agenda and learning objectives for 'Plan for Week Five.' Agenda items: Facilitative Conditions, Empathy, Authenticity, Praise. Objectives: Understand facilitative conditions, practice empathetic communication, apply authenticity principles.

The image shows a pie chart labeled 'Therapeutic Outcomes' with segments: client/extratherapeutic factors (40%), relationship factors (30%), placebo, hope, expectancy factors (15%), and model/technique factors (15%). Text highlights the importance of social workers' skills.

Silhouette of a person stands next to a list of role clarification tasks. A globe illustration labeled 'Extinction Explosion' is present. Context: educational slide on client expectations and interactions.

Clipboard illustration showing 'Informed Consent' with lines and a red X. A green box states 'Talk about confidentiality and its limits.' Text includes 'Communicating Informed Consent, Confidentiality, and Agency Policies' plus course details.

The image features a diagram with labeled rectangles representing facets of 'Facilitative Conditions' including empathy, respect, warmth, authenticity, and congruence. It's part of a presentation on 'Basic Helping Attitudes.' Text references: 'Rogers, 1979' and 'Hepworth et al., 2023.' Additional details: 'Fall 2025 SOWK 486w,' 'Communication Skills,' 'Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LICSW at Heritage University.'

A bear holding a flashlight looks at a small fox under a hanging bulb. Text includes: “Hey! It’s dark. I’m stuck. I’m overwhelmed.” Left shows a ladder with “Know what it’s like down here.”Title: 'Empathic Communication'Quote: 'Brené Brown - 'The Power of Vulnerability.''Fall 2025 SOWK 486w - Communication Skills - Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LICSW at Heritage University.

Slide titled 'Empathetic Communication' lists four parts: perspective taking, avoiding judgment, recognizing emotions, communicating emotions. Features a red text box on a white background with blue accents. Attribution to Wiseman, 2007.

A statue of a thinker poses contemplatively atop a building corner. The image is part of a presentation slide titled 'DEVELOPING PERCEPTIVENESS TO FEELINGS' with subtitles about self-awareness and empathetic action.

A presentation slide illustrates three levels of empathetic responding: 1. **Additive Empathy:** Reflects full range of feelings, verbal and nonverbal. 2. **Reciprocal Empathy:** Extends perspective, speculating about emotions. 3. **Surface Empathy:** Direct reflection of expressed feelings using similar vocabulary.Source: Hepworth et al., 2023. Course: Fall 2025 SOCWK 486w, Heritage University.

The slide features instructional text on constructing reciprocal responses, with guided sentence templates for emotional responses. Accompanying advice includes affective word references and empathetic responding tips, designed for a communication skills class.

A presentation slide features a title, “OBSERVATION YOUR CONVERSATIONS THIS WEEK,” alongside a binoculars icon. Text provides instructions for observing and responding to empathic messages in various interactions.---A. As you interact with others and observe others’ interactions during the week, notice how frequently infrequently people send empathic messages. Also, observe the types of messages that are sent and how these messages influence the course of conversations.B. As you interact with your spouse, parents, children, friends, and fellow students, practice listening carefully and responding with empathic messages when appropriate. Be alert to how empathic messages influence interactions and to the feeling tones that these responses create.Fall 2025 SOWK 486w Communication Skills Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LICSW at Heritage University

Slide with a black rectangle featuring the word 'AUTHENTICITY' in large text. Below, it reads: 'The sharing of self by relating in a natural, sincere, spontaneous, open, and genuine manner.' A teal circle with a checkmark is on the right. Text footer: 'Fall 2025 SOWK 486w Communication Skills, Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LICSW at Heritage University (Hepworth et al., 2023).'

Silhouette of a person with two speech bubbles in a presentation slide. Left bubble discusses 'Self-Involving Statements,' right bubble discusses 'Personal Self-Disclosure Messages.' Title: 'Types of Self-Disclosure.' Footer credits Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., Heritage University.

Silhouette figure shares 'Personal Self-Disclosure Messages' through a speech bubble; includes considerations: purposeful client focus, sufficient detail for connection, and sparing use. Titled 'Types of Self-Disclosure,' promoting trust and openness.

Slide titled 'A Paradigm for Self-Involving Statements' outlines assertive communication techniques: personalize with 'I,' share emotions, describe behaviors neutrally, and identify impacts. Authored by Hepworth et al. 2023.

Figures stand in two groups under headings: 'intelligence' and 'effort.' Text reads, 'You must be smart at this' and 'You must have worked hard.' Title: 'A Study on Praise and Mindsets, Carol Dweck.'

A child holds a cob of corn smiling, on a green background. Text reads: 'OPPORTUNITY FOR PRAISE POPCORN POSITIVES.' Additional text includes 'Fall 2025 SOWK 486w,' 'Communication Skills,' and 'Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LICSW at Heritage University.'

The slide features two columns. Left: Text discussing cues for authentic responding and clients requesting self-disclosure, with points about personal information and feelings. Right: A list of actions for social workers to share perceptions and reactions, including sharing opinions, personal experiences, and feedback.

Portrait style photo of Jacob Campbell

Dr. Jacob Campbell

19 slides

Description

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:

The Facilitative Conditions
Empathy
Authenticity
Praise

Learning Objectives This Week Include:

Demonstrate an understanding of the facilitative conditions (empathy, respect, authenticity) and their application 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.