Empathy MH31

Empathy Is expressed when the helper communicates he or she understands the facts, emotions, and special meanings of the client’s story  

Empathy vs. Sympathy Empathy: Sympathy:

To Show Empathy to a Client   Do not “help” the client or try to make them feel better! The *first* step is showing you understand how the client feels by making an “empathic statement.” An “empathic statement” is a therapist’s intervention that reflects the client’s feelings that shows how you as the counselor can relates to the client’s emotion in a genuine way.

Step1: Making an Empathic Statement 1.      See whether you can personally relate to what the client has told you with your own, similar experience. If so, identify what feelings come up for you.   2.      If you don’t have a personal experience that relates, put yourself in the person’s shoes and imagine what you would feel if you had their experience. See what feelings come up for you. 3.      If you don’t have personal experience and can’t put yourself in the person’s shoes, find your compassion for the person and prepare to accept their feelings as genuine and valid.

Step 2: Making an Empathic Statement Use a neutral phrase to state the emotion you think the client is feeling and ask to see if you are on track: Counselor: “ You sound frustrated. Is that how you are feeling?” Allow yourself to be wrong! This gives the client a chance to refine the feeling he or she is actually feeling.

Example Client: I’m in my 3rd semester and I just can’t seem to keep up in any of my classes. I’ve been trying, but I know I could do better. My family keeps causing me problems though and I feel like they are making me choose between them and school. Counselor Empathic Statement: That sounds frustrating. Is that how you are feeling?