This book takes a broad perspective on communication skills and how they are used in human service practice. It is set out in five parts:

• Framing the helping relationship (the nature of human service practice, communication processes, theories of change and communication)
• Forming relationships (use of self, agency context, self-care and supervision, making initial contact, confidentiality)
• Basic skills in focusing communication (establishing the story, paraphrasing and summarising, assessing and goal-setting, assessing risk)
• Applying communication skills using different theoretical approaches (task centred and crisis intervention, psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural, narrative and solution-focused, feminist and critical)
• Finishing the work (terminating work with clients and evaluating your work).