What Do Therapists Really Think About Empathy?
In today’s challenge of Therapists Being Human, I asked a group of therapists to tell me what they really think about empathy. Past the prestige of their academic degrees and all the clinical jargon.
What is empathy…and why is it so essential to our healing?
Scroll below to hear what therapists actually think about empathy and its power.
Today’s Challenge:
- The Challenge: Empathy
- The Challengers: Psychotherapists
- The Results: What Therapists Really Think About Empathy
The Challenge: Empathy
If you were to ask a therapist….”Tell me, what is it you provide people in therapy above all else?”
Chances are you would hear something similar to these answers…
“I provide people with a chance to be seen and heard.”
“I allow people to be accepted unconditionally”
“I provide a safe space for people to process their deepest insecurities.”
Despite the answers you were given, most therapists would agree that they deliver empathy.
And the consensus of research studies on psychotherapy outcomes would agree. Which show that despite the hundreds of therapy approaches out there, it is empathy that continues to be THE driving force to healing. In fact, virtually every single metaanalysis in the field has shown conclusively that empathy accounts for the largest portion of change when it comes to treatment outcomes.
When it comes to the star of the show, human empathy is in a lead role.
The Challengers: Therapists
Therapists are a special bred.
Therapists spend tens of thousands of hours diving into the deepest parts of human existence. Asking our clients some of the most challenging questions to the issues they face. While creating a safe space for people to explore their deepest, darkest insecurities. All within… 50 minutes per week. Per person.
If there ever a group of professionals that would know what empathy is, chances are it would be the people who use it the most.
Have you ever wondered what therapists actually think past their academic degrees and professional-sounding jargon about empathy? If therapists could speak freely, what would they say about a complex term such as empathy.
In today’s edition of “Therapists Being Human”, I ask several therapists to explore the question of empathy…without the aid of their textbooks. Without the fancy sounding definitions found on Google. And even Chatgbt.
The Challenge: “To the therapists I work with, in your own words, what is empathy, why is it important, and how can we harness its power with other humans?”
The Results: Here’s What Therapists Really Think About Empathy
“Empathy is the profound ability to witness another’s pain without turning away…”
“Sometimes, healing occurs when others bear our burdens, disappointments, frustrations, joys, excitement, and other feelings together with us.”
“To give empathy to someone else is asking me to give up my model of seeing the world to understand your world. To see it from your own eyes.”
“There is something different about journalling and crying in private vs. sharing your pain out loud or expressing it in front of another human…”
And there you have it!
Join us next time where we will challenge our therapists to answer questions we all struggle with. In “Therapists Being Human”, we will explore the deepest and most challenging questions that we face as humans. Our health, our collective suffering, and our self-discovery.
If you have a topic you would like our therapists to answer, please let us know by contacting us on our contact page.
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