1. EMPATHY

2. The ability to communicate
your understanding of that
to your client.
WHAT IS
EMPATHY
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,jid clr;iriffs; kw;Wk;
thHj;ijfshy; fhl;l KbAk;.
(Verbal and behavioral
expression)

3. WHY
EMPATHY
IMPORTANT
•You want to build the
relationship with the client
through all the previously
mentioned skills.
Yet all
these skills will be hindered
without the use of empathy.
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mr;nray; KiwahdJ
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4. According
to Rogers
(1961)…
This is the ability to
enter the client’s
phenomenological
world, to experience
the client’s world as if it
were your own without
ever losing the ‘as if’
quality.

5. IT INVOLVES
TWO
SPECIFIC
SKILLS:
•Perception/understanding
of what is taking place
emotionally.
•The ability to
communicate your
understanding of that to
your client.

6. ACCORDING
TO MARTIN
(1983)…
•Empathy is communicated
understanding of the other
person’s intended emotional
message. Every word counts
in this definition. It is not
enough to understand what
the person said; you must also
hear what they meant to say;
the intended message.
•It is not enough to
understand, even deeply; you
must communicate your
understanding somehow.
•It is absolutely essential the
other person “feel”
understood—that your
understanding is perceived.

7. TWO FORMS OF EMPATHY
• Primary Empathy:
– Responding in such a way that it is apparent to both the
client & counsellor the counsellor has understood the
client’s major themes.
– cstsj;Jizahsh; Nrit ehbapd; rpf;fypd; gpujhd
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tpsq;fpf; nfhs;sy;yhFk;
• Advanced Empathy:
This takes the relationship one step further. You are
exploring themes, issues, meanings, and emotions that are
below the surface of what is being shared by the client.
– gpujhd mk;rj;ij cs;shu;e;J CLUtp xj;Jzu;jy;.

8. Levels of Empathy
• Throughout your time with a client, you will
be using different levels of empathy. As the
sessions progress, empathy will deepen as
you know more about your client and their
story. You also use an appropriate level of
empathy for the stage of counseling.

9. Levels of Empathy
1. The verbal & behavioral expressions of the counselor
either do not attend to or detract from the verbal &
behavioral expressions of the client.
2. Although the counselor responds to the expressed
feelings of the client, they do so in a way which
subtracts noticeable affect (emotion) from the
communications of the client.
3. The expressions of the counselor in response to the
expressions of the client are essentially
interchangeable.

10. Levels of Empathy
4. The response of the counselor add noticeably to
the expressions of the client in a way that
expresses feelings a level deeper than the client
was able to express.
5. The counselor’s responses add significantly to the
feeling & meaning of the expressions of the client
in a way that accurately expresses feeling levels
below what the client is able to express.

11. Empathic
Understa
nding
•Empathic dimensions
supplement the
microskills.
•Enables you to rate the
quality and helpfulness of
your interventions.
•Listening skills, as
presented so far, are
from the behavioral basis
of empathy.

12. •In addition to empathic
understanding, qualitative
dimensions are also important.
Empathic
Understa
nding …
But
Positive regard
Respect and warmth
Concreteness
Immediacy
Nonjudgmental
attitude
 Authenticity or
congruence






13. S.Sajath Moamed (Dip in
Counselling)
Sri lanka
Thank You