• Therapists of many different orie

• Therapists of many different orientations agree that attempting sensitively
and accurately to understand others from their viewpoint is a critical factor
in being effective therapists.
• One of the main functions of empathy is to foster client self-exploration.
Clients come to a deeper self-understanding through a relationship in
which they feel they are being understood by others. Research has demonstrated
that clients who feel understood by their therapists are encouraged
to share more of themselves.
• Empathy dissolves alienation; the person who receives empathy feels connected
with others. Furthermore, those who receive empathy learn that
they are valued, cared for, and accepted as they are.
• The ability to exhibit empathy depends on the personal development of
the therapist. Rogers came to the conclusion that “the more psychologically
mature and integrated the therapist is as a person, the more helpful is the
relationship he provides” (p. 5).
• Being a skilled diagnostician and making interpretations is not related
to empathy, which, at its best, is accepting and nonjudgmental. In fact, for
Rogers “true empathy is always free of any evaluative or diagnostic
quality” (p. 7).
Accurate empathy is central to the practice of person-centered group work.
It is a way for facilitators to hear the meanings expressed by the members of
their group that often lie at the edge of their awareness. According to Watson
(2002), full empathy entails understanding the meaning and feeling of a
client’s experiencing and being able to communicate that clearly to the person.
Watson adds that almost 60 years of research has consistently demonstrated
that empathy is the most powerful determinant of client progress in therapy. She
puts the challenge to counselors as follows: “Therapists need to be able to be responsively
attuned to their clients and to understand them emotionally as well