This best-selling textbook, now in its seventh edition, is the essential resource to foster the self-awareness and communication skills needed by health professionals in providing ethical, compassionate, and professional care for their patients.

The book begins by encouraging readers to understand, change, and evaluate their patterns of response so that they can adapt to patients in a range of stressful or contentious situations. Through holistic self-awareness, taking into account one’s family history and personal values, the book then discusses methods of stress management before moving through the most effective ways to support and communicate with patients. There are chapters on establishing rapport, assertiveness, and conflict resolution, cultural sensitivity, leadership, spirituality, and patient education. Specific issues around communicating with terminally ill patients or those with disabilities are also covered.

Fully updated throughout, the seventh edition now features a new chapter devoted specifically to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, plus a new chapter covering professional formation in transitions from classroom to clinical education, including telehealth patient–practitioner interaction (PPI), interprofessional education, and early career pathways. The new edition is informed by the national Healthy People 2030 objectives, while also offering further coverage of the social determinants of health, biopsychosocial aspects of health and healing, and sexuality and sexual health.

Featuring interactive and online learning activities based on real-life clinical situations, as well as vignettes designed to make learning active and engaging, this invaluable text is ideal for any developing professional in the health professions.