Engagement is key to any relationship-building. It’s important to talk with, rather than talk to, patients when it comes to influencing them for behavior change for better outcomes. That said, sometimes you are exhausted, not in the right headspace, or just find it challenging to “click with a patient.”

In this section, we’ll show you a conceptual model to systematically nurture your empathy for patients of diverse backgrounds. We’ll also break down an evidence-based health coaching model into actionable steps for you to explore what’s on a patient’s mind.

The intended learning outcomes for this section are:

1. Understand a patient’s illness experience by using a conceptual framework  
2. Identify the steps to exploring a patient’s health beliefs, concerns, and preferences
3. Identify the language that facilitates the discovery of a patient’s health beliefs