1. Evaluating the Impact of an Empathy Training Seminar on Empathic Performance Avery A. Nelson

2. Most cognitive behavioral therapies emphasize the importance of empathy as a basic therapeutic relationship variable (O'Donohue & Fisher, 2009). Training?

3. In the current study Evaluated the impact of empathy training on the ability of clinical graduate students to be empathic with undergraduates across two 20-minute sessions. Hypothesis: Grad students who received the empathy training would provide higher levels of empathy to their clients

4. What is empathy?

5. Empathy as a State One person, at a given time, is able to identify with another’s experiences and feelings that result from being able to identify with this object (Burton & Scott). The empathetic state is a moment or experience. Ex: “I am feeling anxious right now.”

6. Empathy as a Trait The “relatively enduring and stable tendency to behave in a particular way” (Burton & Scott). Lasts more than a moment Can be described as characteristic of the person Ex: “I am an anxious person.”

7. Empathy comes to the limelight Carl Rogers “unconditional positive regard” Nondirective counseling rather than directive counseling (Burton & Scott). shift away from giving direct advice to the client better sense of self-efficacy and agency in their life.

8. Is empathy important in therapy? Hynan (1990), surveyed clients that had terminated their therapy Early termination felt some level of discomfort with the therapy. Later termination felt that they had improved enough to not need to continue any longer.

9. Empathy with Children Crenshaw and Hardy (2007), argue that empathy is especially crucial in a therapeutic relationship with children.

10. Empathy Client-Dependent? Some research has shown that the outcome of therapy and empathy level is somewhat dependent upon the client (Barrett-Lennard, 1981). Open clients are easier for therapists to empathize with (Barret-Lennard, 1981).

11. “An empathetic stance on the part of the therapist is an essential goal of all psychotherapists, regardless of theoretical orientation, treatment format, and severity of patient psychopathology” (Elliott et al., 2011).

12. Psychotherapist’s ultimate goal is to understand the client’s interpretations, experiences, and feelings rather than simply the words they are saying. Therapist will not always be correct in their empathetic responses important that attempts are made accept that they may be corrected.

13. Empathic Responses Empathic understanding responses--demonstrate an underlying understanding of the client’s feelings. Empathic affirmations-- are attempts made by the therapist to understand the viewpoint of the client. (Elliott et al., 2011)

14. Empathic Response Cont. Empathic evocation--attempts to add colorful language and life to the client’s experience much like a story book. The therapist attempts to use “rich, probing, and connotative language” (Elliott et al., 2011). Empathic conjectures--attempts to find the ‘deeper meaning’ in a client’s words.

15. Teaching Empathy Project Dr. Walter Scott’s Personality lab. Resident Assistant Strengths Quest Number one strength was empathy. Dr. Scott’s Theories of Personality class High in empathy. Studying empathy in therapy on a project he had started it nearly decade ago.

16. The Current Study: Fourteen graduate students enrolled in a clinical doctoral psychology program. Seven of these clinical doctor psychology graduate students enrolled in a semester-long empathy seminar. Seven clinical doctoral psychology graduate students participated in the empathy study without receiving specialized training in empathy.

17. 12 sessions 2 hours long one semester. Ten chapters of the book “Listening to Feeling with Skill: A Training Manual for Empathy” Comprehension quizzes “Workbook to accompany Listening to Feeling with Skill: A Training Manual for Empathy.” group exercises ‘Practice groups’ student volunteered two listeners would practice providing empathic responses. the other students would rate the level of empathy and provide feedback.

18. Met with an undergraduate Undergraduate expresses feeling The graduate students Provide empathic responding. Specifically, graduate student listeners were instructed to "imagine what [the student] was feeling and experiencing... and put [that] understanding into words."

19. Two independent raters used an objective empathic responding rating scale (Burton & Scott, 2009) Transcriptions of audiotaped sessions

20. Empathic Responding Scale 1.0-1.9: INTERFERING, NON-REFLECTION 2.0-2.9: ERRONEOUS REFLECTION 3.0: SURFACE RELECTION 3.1-4.0: DEPTH REFLECTION.

21. Analysis Repeated measure ANOVAs were used to examine objective measures of empathic responding. Hypothesized: Graduate students who participated in the empathy training seminars show greater improvement Compared average level of empathy in responses at time one and time two for both groups

22. Average Empathy Levels Did not participate in the empathy seminar: at time one 3.26 at time two 3.30 Did participate in the seminar at time one 3.37 at time two 3.40. Both groups increased their average observed empathy rating by about.03 p-value >.05, showing almost no difference between the two groups.

23. However Many responses were not empathic attempts at all Rated as a 99 Not included in the overall average of empathy One-way repeated measures ANOVA and calculated the percentage of non-empathic attempts

24. Mean percentage of non-empathic statements Did not participate in the seminar at time one.43 at time two.49. Did participate in the seminar t time one:.37 at time two.31. A p-value <.05 demonstrates that this is significant. Not in the seminar increased by.06 In the seminar decreased by.06.

25. Good News about the Scale Interrater reliability was excellent Intraclass coefficient was.83 Cicchietti (1994),.75-1.00 is excellent. This means that the new measure of empathy that we were using to rate the level of empathy in the responses has excellent reliability between raters.

26. What does this mean? No real value to adding the specialized empathy seminar the group Receiving training-- significantly better at making empathic attempts than not receiving training Receiving training-- improved in number of empathic attempts

27. Ideas for Further Research Clinical students who participated in the seminar had a better level of experiencing for the undergrad? Look for words that suggest a higher level of experiencing accepting agency in one’s life and actions.

28. Photos: http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/ http://www.adaptastraining.com/can-empathy-be-learned-one-to-consider-for-staff-training http://www.peoplepolarity.com/empathy-developed-helplessness/ http://drlarrybrooks.com/can-a-leopard-change-its-spots-part-three-walking-in-the-shoes-of- another/ http://bloomthink.com/2012/05/01/empathy-in-social-media/ http://practicewisdom.blogspot.com/2012/07/preparatory-empathy.html http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201004/why-do-so-many-people- seek-therapy http://www.psychologist.iwarp.com/custom.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/09/long-term-psych.html http://www.drchristinahibbert.com/postpartum-depression-treatment/psychotherapy/

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