What term describes the awareness of the emotions a client is experiencing?

The term that best describes the awareness of the emotions a client is experiencing is empathetic responding. This concept involves not only recognizing and understanding the feelings of the client but also communicating that understanding effectively. When social workers engage in empathetic responding, they validate the client's emotions, which fosters a sense of safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship.

Empathetic responding is crucial in social work practice as it helps clients feel heard and understood, allowing for deeper exploration of their feelings. It requires the practitioner to tune into both verbal and non-verbal cues from the client, reflecting back the emotions they perceive, which can lead to greater insights and emotional processing for the client.

In contrast, emotional intelligence refers to the broader ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions and the emotions of others, while active listening focuses specifically on listening attentively and responding appropriately during a conversation. Non-verbal communication involves the cues and signals that are communicated without spoken words, which can support empathetic responding but is not synonymous with the awareness of a client's emotions on its own.