Final answer:
Reflective listening is the act of repeating a patient's message in the listener's own words to ensure understanding and to demonstrate empathy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reflective listening is the process of repeating the patient's message to him or her in your own words. This technique is used by healthcare professionals to ensure that they have correctly understood the patient's communication, by rephrasing the patient's statements. The other options, such as empathetic mirroring, paraphrasing, and reciprocal echoing are related concepts, but reflective listening specifically involves synthesizing and repeating the essence of what the patient has said to clarify understanding and demonstrate empathy. By practicing reflective listening, the listener confirms to the speaker that their message is being heard and understood.