Upon reflection of the first vignette I am able to gain a clear understanding of effective communication therapy techniques. What stands out to me the most from the first video is the trust that both sally and her husband have in the paramedics. There is a sense of complete faith and willing participation from both Sally and her husband. How the paramedics achieve this involvement is by implementing a holistic approach and some great communicative skills such as expressing empathy, active listening, encouragement and providing information. 'The focus needs to be person-centred rather than nurse- or task-focused and the relationship is a key element’(Bach and Grant, 2011). By taking time to do this, health care workers can advance their therapeutic relationships with patients, encouraging compassionate care. From this we can therefore see that it is different from social and collegial communication. In this essay I will discuss the communication techniques used and demonstrated in the first vignette, how they are applied and explain why they are successful. Empathy in one of many ways can be described as the ability to supportively communicate a sensitive awareness and affirmation of another person's feelings and the unique meanings attached to them (Mearns and Thorne, 2007). Healthcare workers who are committed and compassionate also must use empathy as a tool to build a rapport with their patient. This is demonstrated in the first vignette through the paramedics active listening and understanding of concern by Sally and her husband. He allows them to voice their feelings, identify and acknowledge their emotional experience in order to treat Sally in a respectful, dignified way. He also uses touch as a means of connecting and reassuring, by touching her hand he is telling her (non verbally) that he is listening, she can trust him.