Empathy in Therapy

Introduction

Carl Rodgers, who advocated the person-centric or humanitarian approach, put forth three core conditions for therapists in their counseling activities. Among the three therapist core conditions advocated by Carl Rodgers, Empathy is considered the most important while congruence and unconditional positive regard are also essential qualities in the therapist although to a lesser degree (Clark, 2014). An interesting aspect of human behavior is that individuals tend to have a specific view of themselves based on their self-perceptions. This may greatly differ from reality or even the perception of other persons. However, each individual continues to behave as per their preconceived notion about themselves. For any therapist to be successful, they need to understand this self-conception as a situation from the client’s point of view (Wynn & Bergvik, 2010). 

The art of empathizing cannot be learned from books. It is a skill that is acquired through practice and even the best therapists learn to empathize through interactions with their clients (Tolan & Cameroon, 2017). Interestingly, an interaction with an empathetic therapist does not end as soon as the session comes to an end. Rather, it lays the groundwork for the client to continue to explore his feelings as he mulls over the situation. The conversation during the therapy session has thus acted as a nudge to kick start the process of self-exploration as the client learns to evaluate the situation and find possible outcomes. As the various options are explored both during the counseling session as well as afterward, the client is often able to look at the issue from a different perspective as he continues to reflect on the situation being discussed and develop an insight into the various options that are open to him (Wynn & Bergvik, 2010). Hence, empathy plays a key role in the core conditions of the client.

Importance of Empathy

The primary reason for this differentiation may be attributed to the importance accorded to clients in the humanitarian approach, where the therapist shares an equal relationship with the client. This approach does away with treating the client as a patient and prefers to partner with the client in their research for a suitable solution to the situation at hand. This is not a conventional treatment process, but rather a healing process in which the client is an equal partner (Wynn & Bergvik, 2010).  An important assumption under this approach is that the clients are responsible for introducing changes in their own lives, while the role of the therapist is limited to that of a friend and guide. Thus, it is the relationship with the therapist rather than the therapist himself who plays a pivotal role in this approach in psychology. The therapist, therefore, does not follow a structured program but rather helps the client to open up about the various issues on hand and then come to a solution by themselves (Tolan & Cameroon, 2017).

By empathizing with the client, the therapist can guide the client and help him understand the situation (Rennie, 1998). Through listening, the therapist encourages the client to not only state the problem from their perception but also reason out and understand the situation and the various options on hand. Furthermore, the client and the therapist, through their partnership help the healing process in case of extreme trauma for the client (Sperry, Carlson & Kjos, 2003). Often, the client would be reluctant to open up about the real problem without establishing trust, and empathy is the best method to achieve this objective. Through empathy, the therapist not only establishes a relationship but also helps the client deal with negative images, negative sentiments, and self-esteem by merely being a good listener. The most successful therapist is one who can find a ‘common ground’ between himself and his client, thus easily establishing trust either by sharing his own experiences or by showing interest and appreciation in the events unfolding in the client’s life (Tolan & Cameroon, 2017). 

Empathy is thus a continuous process that involves communication and perception (Motschnig & Nykl, 2014). The very goal of a humanitarian approach in psychology rests on helping clients in self-exploration and assisting them in moving forward with zeal and vigor. Thus a therapist, in his role as a friend would listen to the client while as a guide he would help the client understand their behavior, beliefs, feelings, and point of view (Sperry, Carlson & Kjos, 2003). In the next set,p the therapist would continue to empathize with the client and help them understand the various options open before them as well as listen to their various justifications for choosing or ignoring each possibility. The keyword in this entire process remains empathy and hence the therapist must at all times abstain from passing judgment over the actions of the clients or leading them to a particular choice while decision making (Rennie, 1998). The therapist must maintain an interest in the client’s experiences while simultaneously not taking a stand on any of the issues being discussed. The neutral position of the therapist is the primary catalyst that would push the client towards handling their issues and reflecting on the situation at hand with confidence (Quick, 2012).

Importance of Communication in Empathy

It would be accurate to state that communication and perception are the twin wheels for empathizing with a client (Tolan & Cameroon, 2017).  This goes on to suggest that one without the other would not be beneficial to the client in any manner. In other words, a therapist who understands the perspective of the client but does not communicate his understanding is just as much a failure as one who is unable to understand the unique perspective of his client! The therapist thus, needs to listen to feelings and emotions alongside paying attention to the narrative of his client (Motschnig & Nykl, 2014). By adopting this approach, the counselor can gauge the depth of involvement as well as identify the core issues with the client to a large extent. While this may be easy to describe theoretically, the depth of the skills involved in empathizing with clients is developed over some time Counselors need to constantly open themselves up to verbal and non-verbal cues while interacting with their clients to establish trust and build a relationship based on empathy (Wynn & Bergvik, 2010).

Compassion and accuracy are both equally important aspects of empathizing with a client. Towards this end, the therapist needs to understand the subjective view of the client and the uniqueness of their perspective (Tolan & Cameroon, 2017). Thus, empathy is helpful to clients in understanding the role of each experience in shaping their perspective. It would be accurate to state that empathizing with clients helps them in not only valuing their experiences but also looking at them from a different point of view, thereby altering their perception itself! Thus, by bringing about a modification in perception about themselves as well as the world; the therapist can increase the confidence and boost the decision-making capability of the client. Therefore, it would be apt to state that empathy has been seen to be the most powerful component in the humanitarian approach in psychology advocated by Carl Rodgers.

 Conclusion

Empathy is thus essential for the success of this relationship as the therapist needs to feel with the client (empathize) rather than feeling for (sympathize) the client. The therapist should guide the client through counseling rather than instructing (treatment) the client on the future course of action. Thus, by being empathetic the therapist can understand the client’s feelings and point of view on the topic under discussion (Clark, 2004). The success of this approach would lie in the relationship between the client and the therapist rather than in a structured and rigid approach based on technique. Words, gestures, facial expressions,s, and voice tones all are equally powerful in expressing empathy with a client. Similarly being aware of non-verbal communication by the client is also essential for effective empathy and relationship building. The role of the counselor would thus be to act as a medium for the client as he explores the various options before him through empathy and hence it is considered as the most important of Carl Rodger’s Core Conditions. 

References

Clark, A. (2014). Empathy in Counseling and Psychotherapy. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

CLARK, A. (2004). Empathy: Implications of Three Ways of Knowing in Counseling. The Journal Of Humanistic Counseling, Education And Development, 43(2).

Motschnig, R., & Nykl, L. (2014Person-centeredred Communication. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.

Quick, E. (2012). Core competencies are solution-focused and strategic therapies. New York: Brunner-Routledge.

Rennie, D. (1998). Person-centered counseling. London: Sage Publications.

Sperry, L., Carlson, J., & Kjos, D. (2003). Becoming an effective therapist. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Tolan, J., & Cameroon, R. (2017). Skills in person-centered counseling & psychotherapy. Sage Publications Ltd.

Wynn, R., & Bergvik, S. (2010). Studying empathy as an interactional three-part sequence. Patient Education And Counseling, 80(1).