Empathy: Real Stories to Inspire and Enlighten Busy Clinicians

The complete guide to handling emotionally charged patient conversations with the empathy vulnerable people deserve

The Clinician’s Guide to Empathy helps you approach tough conversations with patients in a new, more effective way—by understanding and recognizing their emotion and perspective, and then communicating that recognition clearly and without fear. The authors define empathy on an operational level—rather than a theoretical, scientific, or conceptual level—and provide the actionable advice you need to make empathy the central focus when faced with denial, questions about prognosis, existential concerns, difficult family dynamics, anger, and nonmedical opiate use. Each chapter, authored by an experienced expert in their field, is anchored by a story that clearly illustrated how empathy can unfold in the clinical setting. Vignettes throughout provide sample dialogue and specific examples of actual words to use in specific situations. 

Trained to solve problems, clinicians often have difficulty expressing empathy to their patients. This guide provides a new way of approaching that problem—not as a technician but as a fellow human being. Much more than a guide to breaking bad news or a brief overview of all communication skills, The Clinician’s Guide to Empathy is a must-read for almost anyone connected to the healthcare industry.