The biopsychosocial approach present in modern medicine and contemporary nursing profession strongly emphasizes the necessity to integrate medical treatment and nursing with a practically-oriented psychology. This integration is best expressed in therapeutic communication with patients. The aim of this paper is to define therapeutic communication and to characterise the most important tool, namely active listening. The author presents active listening techniques, such as: confirming, specifying, paraphrasing, reflecting feelings and reflecting needs. The author highlights the diagnostic and therapeutic importance of active listening which enables the empatic understanding of the patient and the constructing of a relationship which has a therapeutic effect.