Question

Describe how you know if someone is responding with empathy. Describe how you know when someone is not feeling understood. Provide specific examples to support your answers.

Answer 1

• Empathy is the ability to understand another person's emotions and feelings,to keep oneself in their shoes and try to experience the same emotions as them.Especially in counseling this is an important skill a counselor needs to have to be able to understand what the client is going through.Empathy allows the counselors to help clients describe their stories and experiences so that a trusting relationship counselor and client can be formed,to go along on a journey with the client and solve their problems.
• When clients see that they can share their experiences with the counselor who is non-judgmental and non-critical,they experience a safe space which allows to explore themselves in a way which maybe they couldnt do in the outside world.
• For example,the client tells the counselor-"I have been feeling so down from past few days
• Counselor's response would,and you are quite anxious as well
• Client replies with a Yes.
• This shows empathy and the client may start slowly reveal what they are going through.
• When the client feels that their emotions are being reflected in the right manner,they develop trust on the counselor and will respond appropriately.
• But for instance,if an agitated client comes to the counselor as her mother is sick,and if the counselor responds by saying "You're a bit upset".The client would become distanct as the counselor as not reflected her emotion accurately.The choice of words which a counselor to show empathy is very important.