THE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This professional development workshop emphasizes the critical importance of empathic competence in midwifery practice and demonstrates how appropriate emotional engagement facilitates trust-building with women and their families. Through structured role-play scenarios and guided reflective practice, participants will explore the impactful role of midwives in the specific scenarios, and how empathic communication can enhance therapeutic relationships, mitigate potential conflicts and risks, and facilitate informed, respectful decision-making throughout the perinatal continuum.

THE PROCESS/ACTIVITIES:
Under the guidance of a midwife and an immersive theater director, the workshop presents clinically authentic scenarios enacted by professional performers. These scenarios depict complex interpersonal dynamics between midwives and women during vulnerable perinatal moments. Participants will observe, analyze, and actively engage with the scenarios, practicing alternative communication strategies based on empathic principles.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION:
This method enables midwifery professionals to develop deeper insights into women’s experiences, enhance self-awareness regarding communication patterns, and cultivate an advanced understanding of relational dynamics within clinical contexts. The workshop provides a structured environment for personal reflection, interprofessional dialogue, and experiential learning within a safe space. This highly interactive educational intervention aims to enhance practitioners' confidence in delivering empathic, woman-centered care while contributing to a culture of professional respect within multidisciplinary maternity care teams. Additional reading International Confederation of Midwives. Essential Competencies for Midwifery Practice: Core Competencies, Philosophy of Care, Code of Ethics, Position Statements on Normal Birth and Women’s Rights in Childbirth. International Confederation of Midwives; 2014–2025. Konkin J, Grave L. The role of applied theatre in medical education: cultivating empathy and fostering perspective-taking. Teach Learn Med. 2019;31(2):207-216.