Empathy is more than a personal trait. It is a clinical skill that shapes therapeutic relationships, supports shared decision-making, and influences treatment engagement and outcomes across every speech-language pathology setting. In this course, Jennifer Eggert, MS, CCC-SLP, C/NDT, examines empathy as a professional competency that can be intentionally developed and applied in everyday practice. Participants will differentiate empathy from related concepts such as sympathy, compassion, and validation while exploring the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of effective empathetic communication.
The course also examines how empathy strengthens client- and caregiver-centered care by building trust, improving collaboration, and supporting meaningful partnerships with clients, families, and interdisciplinary teams. Through evidence-informed strategies, self-reflection, and clinical case examples, participants will learn practical approaches for navigating difficult conversations, addressing common barriers such as compassion fatigue and implicit bias, and providing relationship-centered care in both pediatric and adult settings.
Whether you work in schools, healthcare, or private practice, you'll leave with practical communication strategies to strengthen therapeutic relationships, support ethical clinical decision-making, and provide more compassionate, client- and caregiver-centered speech-language pathology services.
The course also examines how empathy strengthens client- and caregiver-centered care by building trust, improving collaboration, and supporting meaningful partnerships with clients, families, and interdisciplinary teams. Through evidence-informed strategies, self-reflection, and clinical case examples, participants will learn practical approaches for navigating difficult conversations, addressing common barriers such as compassion fatigue and implicit bias, and providing relationship-centered care in both pediatric and adult settings.
Whether you work in schools, healthcare, or private practice, you'll leave with practical communication strategies to strengthen therapeutic relationships, support ethical clinical decision-making, and provide more compassionate, client- and caregiver-centered speech-language pathology services.
