Definition Of Empathy In Counselling

Empathy is to respectfully perceive what the client is bringing from their frame of reference and to communicate that back in a way that makes the client feel they ve been understood.

Definition of empathy in counselling. Empathy is the ability to connect with others by working to understand their emotions and perspectives. The client needs to feel held understood as well as respected. In this piece we will discuss the benefits of showing empathy as a therapist as well as how to show empathy as a therapist. Joaquín selva bc s psychologist.

Therapists need empathy for clients. Empathy in counselling starts at 1 58 mins empathy and sympathy are two very different things. When providing counsel or support for patients their families or your own colleagues. Empathy in counselling is about the counsellor seeing the client s world as they see it.

The rogers quote above indicates that empathy is important in relationships in our interactions with people. Sympathy involves feeling sorry for someone and comes from your own frame of reference while empathy involves trying to understand the other person s situation and experience putting yourself into their frame of reference as far as possible. In counselling empathy is an expression of the regard and respect the counsellor holds for the client whose experiences may be quite different from that of the counsellor. Empathy is defined by carl rogers as a core condition for successful counselling although counseling as such is not the focus of this article.

Clients often intentionally or secondarily develop empathy for other people in their lives. It is touted as the cornerstone of emotional intelligence a key ingredient in developing and maintaining satisfying relationships.