By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Cash Transfers: Good for HIV/AIDS Too
    August 9, 2012
    unnecessary medical tests
    Eagerly Awaiting the Death of Defensive Medicine
    September 5, 2013
    Image
    Mobile Health Around the Globe – mHealth Fighting Malnutrition in India
    December 17, 2012
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: APTA Session Recap: What We Say Feeds White and Grey
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > APTA Session Recap: What We Say Feeds White and Grey
Public HealthSpecialties

APTA Session Recap: What We Say Feeds White and Grey

Anne Weiler
Anne Weiler
Share
4 Min Read
brain-enhancing strategies
SHARE

“Brain‐Enhancing Strategies for Effective Therapeutic Communication”

Speaker: Karen Mueller, PT,DPT PhD

“Brain‐Enhancing Strategies for Effective Therapeutic Communication”

Speaker: Karen Mueller, PT,DPT PhD

More Read

Varicose Vein Treatment – EVLT Versus Sclerotherapy
Top 5 Reasons Why you’re Not Losing Weight on Your Diet
Alzheimer’s Disease Linked to Poor Sleep: Quantity and Quality of Sleep Make a Difference
From “Repeal and Replace” to “Retain and Improve”
A Guide for the Unprepared Caregiver: Tory Zellick’s Medical Day Planner

brain-enhancing strategiesTherapeutic outcomes are as affected by the therapist’s ability to effect behavior change in their patients as by their clinical skills. However, many healthcare professionals don’t understand the basics. This session by Karen Mueller, PT, DPT, PhD focused on strategies to help improve patient care by examining principles from positive psychology and mindfulness to develop empathy for patients.

We know from research that feeling empathy from the healthcare provider is one of the key factors in patient satisfaction. We also know that a positive relationship between patient and provider is a key factor in improving patient adherence to treatment plans. How much do we think about the impact of the provider on the patient in daily care? Does a more positive and mindful healthcare provider get better results with patients?

The session started with some background research on positive psychology and mindfulness, with reference to renowned happiness researcher Martin Seligman, Director of the Positive Psychology Department at the University of Pennsylvania, in particular the impact of positive psychology in healthcare outcomes.  Unfortunately, our brains are naturally wired towards negativity, which may have been a primitive self-protection mechanism, and it takes a 3:1 ratio of positive thoughts to overcome negative thoughts so we need to actively cultivate positive thoughts to overcome this bias.

Why is this important? Positive emotions appear to create enduring personal resources including creativity, resilience, social relationships, and overall health and well-being.

“The way we choose our words can improve the neural functioning of the brain, in fact a single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress” Andrew Newberg, MD

Next the session explored mindfulness, defined clinically as the “cognitive process of directing and redirecting focused attention on an internal physiologic process” and in layman’s terms of focusing and noticing the current experience without attachment, often by using the breath as a tool. Mindfulness has been studied for its impact in healthcare, particularly for managing chronic pain but patients using mindfulness techniques have also seen improvements in fatigue and depression.

Mindfulness has also been proven to be effective in therapeutic practice when used by healthcare providers. A study by Beach et all in 2013, showed that clinicians who practiced mindfulness had an easier time building patient rapport, more patient centered communication, and ultimately more satisfied patients.

Finally the session provided practical advice for people wanting to practice mindfulness when caring for patients:

  • Understand how you are feeling before you meet with a patient. Your negative emotions can have a big impact on them. If you are stressed or burned out, help yourself so you can better help your patients.
  • Speak wisely: express appreciation, speak slowly (slower speech enhances trust and reduces anxiety), speak briefly, check for understanding
  • Listen wisely: paraphrase, don’t interrupt, look at the patient, ask questions

The session provided a comprehensive high-level survey of the topic, and pointed to a wealth of information and research studies for those wishing to explore the topic further to improve their patient care.

(Brain‐Enhancing Strategies / shutterstock)

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Anne Weiler
Follow:
Anne Weiler is CEO and co-founder of Wellpepper, a clinically-validated and award winning platform for patient engagement that enables health systems to track patient outcomes in real-time against their own protocols and personalize treatment plans for patients. Wellpepper patients are over 70% engaged. Prior to Wellpepper, Anne was Director of Product Management at Microsoft Corporation.

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

9 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Add Years to Your Life
9 Healthcare Lifestyle Tweaks That can Add Years to Your Life
lifestyle
July 11, 2025
car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025

You Might also Like

morning after pill effectiveness
Policy & LawPublic Health

Morning-After Pill Doesn’t Prevent Pregnancies for Women Over 176 Lbs.

December 1, 2013
Healthcare Insurance marketplaces
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

Healthcare Insurance Marketplaces: What You Need to Know

June 8, 2013

There’s More to HealthCare Than Doctors and Hospitals

July 28, 2013

Telemonitoring at Work in the Netherlands

November 25, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?