We discussed Arthur's Integral Model of Empathy in the context of
therapy, which consists of three aspects; Interpersonal, Subjective and
Objective Empathy. We also talk about Edwin's, Empathy as a Way of Being
Model.
Subjective Empathy - enables a counselor to momentarily
experience what it is like to be a client,
Interpersonal Empathy - relates to understanding a client's
phenomenological experiencing, and
Objective Empathy - uses reputable knowledge sources
outside of a client's frame of reference.
Empathy and Mental Health shows mental health professionals how to
employ a deeper understanding of subjective, objective, and
interpersonal modalities of empathy in their practice.
Chapters are full of case studies and examples that demonstrate
empathy’s role in challenging and complex encounters, and as each
concept and process is introduced, Dr. Clark discusses strategies for
responding empathically. The book has a sound theoretical grounding that
is informed by extensive material on empathy and empathic understanding
from the counseling and psychotherapy literature and related fields of
inquiry.
Drawing from psychodynamic, existential-humanistic, cognitive
behavioral, and other contemporary orientations, this text makes empathy
immediately useful and understandable to students and practitioners.
The purpose of this text is to organize the voluminous material on empathy
in a coherent and practical manner, filling a gap that exists in the
current therapeutic literature.Empathy
in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Perspectives and Practicescomprehensively
examines the function of empathy as it introduces students and
practitioners to the potential effectiveness of utilizing empathic
understanding in the treatment process.
Employing empathy with full recognition of its strengths and limitations
promotes sound strategies for enhancing client development. As an integral
component of the therapeutic relationship, empathic understanding is
indispensable for engaging clients from diverse backgrounds. This cogent
work focuses on understanding empathy from a wide range of theoretical
perspectives and developing interventions for effectively employing the
construct across the course of treatment. The book also presents a new
approach for integrating empathy through a Multiple Perspective Model in
the therapeutic endeavor.
Organized into three sections, the text addresses empathy in the following
capacities:
*historical and contemporary perspectives and practices in counseling
and psychotherapy;
*theoretical orientations in counseling and psychotherapy; and
*a Multiple Perspective Model in counseling and psychotherapy.
Table of Contents
Ch. 1
The meaning of empathy in counseling and psychotherapy
3
Ch. 2
Value of empathy in counseling and psychotherapy
21
Ch. 3
Theories of counseling and psychotherapy and empathy
41
Ch. 4
Person-centered therapy and empathy
60
Ch. 5
Psychoanalytic therapy and empathy
89
Ch. 6
Self psychology and empathy
121
Ch. 7
Multiple ways of knowing and empathy
155
Ch. 8
Therapeutic techniques and empathy in counseling and
psychotherapy
187
Ch. 9
Therapeutic techniques and empathy in group counseling
and psychotherapy
211
Ch. 10
Empathy in counseling and psychotherapy : a case study
"Grasping the meaning of an early recollection of a
person involves momentarily experiencing what it is like to be the
individual. When listening to a remembrance, it is possible to engage
three empathic postures in order to make sense of the memory. First,
allow the recollection to resonate internally. Second, attune to verbal
and nonverbal communications. Third, draw from personal experiences of
listening to previous memories from others, and from learning about
early recollections."
Interpersonal and
objective empathic perspectives also contribute to understanding first
memories. In my next post, I will detail how both modalities blend with
subjective empathy in clarifying the meaning of an individual's early
recollections. Empathy enables a person to momentarily experience what
life is like for another person by facilitating a mutual connection to
an event from a long time ago.
"In the early 1970's, I attended a counseling and psychology conference
in which a presenter interpreted the meaning of a person's early memory.
I was impressed by the accuracy of the observations and wanted to know
more about the procedure. The presenter only said that experience makes
a difference, but that was not particularly helpful. In recent years, I
developed the Dawn
of Memories model
in an attempt to clarify an early recollection interpretation approach
(Clark, 2013)."
"Expanding on a framework introduced by Carl Rogers, an
integral model of empathy in counseling uses empathic understanding through 3
ways of knowing:
Subjective empathy enables a counselor to momentarily
experience what it is like to be a client,
interpersonal empathy relates to understanding a client's
phenomenological experiencing, and
objective empathy uses reputable knowledge sources
outside of a client's frame of reference.
Across the counseling process, empathy is integral to
treatment strategies and interventions."
Empathy and Sympathy: Therapeutic Distinctions in Counseling
By Clark, Arthur J.
Journal of Mental Health Counseling , Vol. 32, No. 2 , April 2010
"At various times in the treatment process, mental health counselors may
inadvertently equate the concepts of empathy and sympathy This confusion
is" understandable because there is ambiguity between the two terms that
could contribute to miscommunication in counseling. This article
clarifies the therapeutic distinctions between empathy and sympathy
through the dimensions of aim, appraisal, apprehension, and agreement.
As expressions of caring and compassion, empathy and sympathy are
sometimes confused by mental health counselors and may mistakenly be
equated (Chismar, 1988). Although both involve attempts by a counselor
to sensitively respond to what a client is experiencing, there are
qualitative differences between the two processes that have therapeutic
implications (Clark, 2007). Blurring the distinctions and failing to
differentiate empathy from sympathy may contribute to misdirections in
the treatment process."
A new model of empathy in counseling
September 2009 | Counseling Today | pg 45
"In the late 1970s, I attended a public lecture presented by Carl
Rogers. A novice school counselor at the time, I recall his speaking
about the topic of empathy as part of his presentation. I felt Rogers’
commentary was the last word on empathy because he was eloquent and
incisive in his remarks. Yet, as Rogers concluded his discussion, I was
somewhat perplexed when he expressed a desire to devote more time to
reflect on empathy and empathic understanding. I wondered how much more
he could learn about the construct because he seemed so well versed on
empathy and its function in counseling..
Empathy: Implications of Three Ways of Knowing in Counseling,
by Clark, Arthur J. - September 2004,
Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development; Fall 2004,
Vol. 43 Issue 2, p141
"From a humanistic orientation, Carl Rogers (1964) described 3 ways of
knowing with reference to empathic understanding: subjective,
interpersonal, and objective. In the context of a threefold perspective
of knowledge, the author expands on Rogers's conception of empathy. As a
consequence of a conceptual change in the direction of empathy,
implications for counseling are affected."
WHAT IS
EMPATHY?
"Empathy: An Integral Model in the Counseling Process – Journal of
Counseling and Development: JCD was published July 1, 2010 and was
written by Arthur J. Clark. In this article Clark is expanding on an
article Carl Roberts wrote in 1957 that is meant to aided therapist in
identifying empathy as a crucial part of creating a healthy personality
alteration for the client in a counseling session(s).
Carl describes the
three points of views of how an individual (counselor) empathizes for
another (client). Roberts coined these perspectives as, “the three ways
of knowing” (Carl, 2010). According to Roberts in order to conceptually
empathize for another, an individual will need to look at the situation
from a subjective perspective, interpersonal perspective, and objective
perspective. Carl took these groups and describes various sub-groups
that explain the different direction each main group can move in; but
still stand under that same umbrella."
