Most health care professionals have experienced the frustration and distress caused by failure of communication in situations where colleagues and patients receive different messages to those given. Anxious people do not take in information clearly and may misunderstand what is said to them. Communication skills have to be learned and, therefore, need to be taught in a structured way, based on research into the particular nature of health crises and the strategies needed to meet a very wide range of problems. This practical book provides a guide for teachers who wish to teach effective interactive skills. As the need for effective communication accelerates with higher patient turnover, health care professionals will find that investment in these skills may alleviate stress and improve patient care. There is now a good body of knowledge about the practice of communication and counselling skills. Those who teach in the health science disciplines will welcome this authoritative guide and companion which will enable these therapeutic skills to be disseminated to others.