Therapeutic Professional Communication Case Study

Therapeutic professional communication requires specific, well defined professional skills. These communications take place between a person who has a specific need and a person who is skilled in techniques that can alleviate or diminish that problem (Tamparo & Lindh, 2008). The foundation of a competent therapist is built upon the ability to communicate effectively. They must be able to adjust to a variety of environments and individuals, while managing personal influences such as culture, economical status, and moral values. Human relations skills translate directly into social and therapeutic communications when there is contact with persons seeking attention (Tamparo & Lindh, 2008).

A memorable occasion that involved difficult social communication occurred shortly after the death of my grandmother. My mother expressed her desire to continue paying my grandmother’s refinanced mortgage so the home and land could remain within the family. As my grandmother’s primary caretaker up to her death, my mother had spent the past few years watching the woman who raised her wither away. She exhibited symptoms of depressions such as; not finding joy in things she once did, insomnia, and decreased appetite.

My role in this communication was to help by getting involved and work towards openness. She ultimately made the decision to keep my grandmother’s house. She started to worked fulltime to be able to make the payments. Other members of our family continue to disagree with her decision. I avoided telling her what she should or should not do, by doing this I escaped imposing my own opinions and solutions on her. Being that I have never been in her exact situation and my only goal was to empower her to make a decision she would be comfortable with. My ability to use therapeutic communication allowed her to reach a decision that was suitable to her own desires without the input of anyone else’s feelings or