Empathy in Counseling and Psychotherapy

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 Practices comprehensively 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. This widely appealing volume is designed for use in courses in counseling and therapy techniques, theories of counseling and psychotherapy, and the counseling internship, and is a valuable resource for counselors, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other related fields of inquiry in the human services.