title: Teaching office-based couples counseling skills: enhancing residents professional and personal relationship skills.
abstract: Effective communication skills are essential for: 1) developing therapeutic physician-patient relationships; 2) negotiating within healthcare teams; and 3) maintaining meaningful personal relationships. This article describes a behavioral science seminar designed to teach residents the fundamentals of couple dynamics and familiarize them with a variety of tools for enhancing communication skills. The seminar consists of a didactic portion, a review of learning materials and instructional DVD, and group discussion. Learning objectives include: a) recognizing the developmental stages of relationships; b) identifying potential communication barriers; and c) use of communication skills tools in three contexts including patient care, healthcare teams, and personal relationships. The seminar is conducted for third-year residents on an annual basis; concepts and materials are reinforced throughout all 3 years of training.
authors.affiliation: Valley Family Medicine, UW Medicine/Valley Medical Center.
authors.forename: Patricia J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.affiliation: Valley Family Medicine, UW Medicine/Valley Medical Center.
authors.forename: Janice C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Carlton
mesh_terms: D003376:Counseling / Q000193:education*; D019546:Couples Therapy / Q000193:education*; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations
keywords: behavioral science; couples counseling; family medicine; residency training; wellness