Facilitating the Genetic Counseling Process Practice-Based Skills, Second Edition

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 215
P. McCarthy Veach et al., Facilitating the Genetic Counseling Process,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74799-6_8

Chapter 8

Responding to Patient Cues: Advanced

Empathy and Confrontation Skills

This chapter discusses two fairly advanced helping skills: advanced empathy and
confrontation. Typically, genetic counselors use these two types of skills less fre-
quently than other skills such as attending, primary empathy, and questioning.
Advanced empathy and confrontation can be very powerful responses when used
strategically and sparingly.

8.1 Advanced Empathy Skills

“...Advanced empathy is necessary. Empathy is a really complicated concept. And it’s not

a set of behaviors that you can [fully] specify. It’s like trying to put your hands on light or

something.” (Master genetic counselor clinician; Miranda et al. 2016 , pp. 771–772).

Learning Objectives

1. Define advanced empathy and confrontation.


2. Differentiate advanced empathy and confrontation from primary
   empathy.


3. Determine guidelines for effectively communicating advanced empathy
   and confrontation.


4. Identify examples of patient themes appropriate for advanced empathy and
   confrontation.


5. Develop advanced empathy and confrontation skills through self- reflection,
   practice, and feedback.