Differences Between Rapport And Empathy, Understanding Counter Transference

Empathy is a two way process, its about trying to fully understand what your client is saying and feeling and also showing your understanding to your client.

When assessing clients a specific skill that I identify with is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings of others. To effectively display empathy requires certain characteristics. Some of the characteristics of empathy that I employ are; having the innate ability to put myself in the other people’s shoes. This allows for a better understand toward the experiences the family has gone through. For empathy to be displayed accurately, effective communication is essential. Effective communication is asking the right questions and providing reflective listening so the family knows the professional truly understands their circumstances. Effective communication allows for an accurate assessment of the family. Effective communication is a vitally important component of empathy. Empathy can be displayed though effective communication, such as, effectively

Social workers must strive “for a full understanding of the complex interactions between the client and all levels of the social and physical system as well as meaning that the client assigns to each of these interactions” (Andreae, 1996, p. 605).

Having a close bond with the client will allow the client to become comfortable with the setting and possible provide more information to the social worker. The more information the social workers have the better treatment that they can provide. Having a better bond will help with building the rapport reports as well as assisting the social worker in understanding the clients point of view and areas they need help.

The complexity of the case meant I had to draw on a large range of social work skills to facilitate my engagement with the service user and carers and to complete my recommendations for panel. My Skills strongly developed throughout the process of assessing the service user and carers and they were acknowledged by my practice assessor.

Unit 4222-302 Engage in Personal Development in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings (SHC 32)

As social workers, it is our responsibility to use the most effective method of practice to engage our clients, assess their situation, and help them create goals that will produce positive outcomes. Every client will present a unique set of challenges; therefore, the social worker must be careful in choosing an approach that will meet the client’s needs, compliment the skills of the therapist and are in line with the agency’s mission. According to Robert and Watkins (2009), psychotherapy is a therapeutic interaction between a trained therapist and a client that is

The importance of empathy in any helping profession, medical or social, cannot be overstated. The workers that exemplified it in their practice did the best that they could with their limited resources.

It means that a therapist understands what the client is feeling at a particular moment. Empathy will help a therapist to communicate his ideas in such way that will make sense. It also helps the therapist to understand the clients when they are communicating. It is a building block of a great social interaction. By having empathic understanding, the therapist will have the ability to appreciate sympathetically and perfectly the client’s experiences and feeling. It will ensure that the client is not lost in his or her own feelings. By understanding how a client truly feels without analyzing or judging them, the therapist and the client will have a successful

The foundation of therapy starts by building rapport with the client and applying strategies when necessary to overcome a variety of barriers. It is imperative to have rapport with a client and to be aware of barriers to facilitate a good treatment outcome. This will take practice and the use of methods and strategies ready to be implemented when needed. There are many components to building a good client rapport such as: intimacy, vulnerability, exploration of inner challenges, self-awareness, staying present; inner resiliency, empathy, anxiety management, and self-integration, and relationship acceptance. The two types of barriers are internal and external and this is for both the client and the therapist. The common barriers to rapport are countertransference and transference. Strategies for overcoming barriers are: Pause Moment and self-awareness. It also requires skills such as being genuine, sensitive, open, and

‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ 2010, (WTtSC 2010) instructs organisations and individuals working with children on how actions such as assessments should be done in accordance with the CA1989 and ensures that professionals understand what their responsibilities and duties are. This specific documentation assisted my understanding of the format in which assessments should be conducted as well as my understanding of multi-professional work surrounding A and his needs. Following guidelines from the Assessment Framework (WTtSC p.44), I was able to establish what A’s specific developmental needs were so they can be addressed during my mentoring sessions. Areas such as his education, family and social relationships and stimulation as well a look at the wider family unit and his environment. This multi-professional meeting was in fact my initial assessment.

Is Empathy a prerequisite for a good Therapeutic relationship? If so, what is the optimal degree of Empathy required for a positive Therapeutic outcome? In the recent years, much emphasis is placed on understanding what "ingredients" in Therapeutic relationship contribute to a positive outcome. Many researchers have attempted to separate essential aspects of the Therapeutic relationship. Rogers (1957) quoted three essential aspects that were vital to attain a "psychological climate" in where a client could reorganize himself. These aspects were characterized as genuineness in the relationship, acceptance of the client (warmth), and accurate empathic understanding of the clients’ phenomenal world. Findings of previous studies shows that these three aspects are separate and can be measured independently (Bergin, 1967; Truax, Wargo, Frank, Imbe, Battle, Hoehn-Saric, & Stone 1966).

People should feel comfortable when expressing their feelings to the interviewer, for a decent relationship to begin. The human service professional do not have to agree with the client, in order to show empathy but understanding. Counselors must recognize important nonverbal clues when speaking with clients. According to the “Mental Health Facilitator” people should start with self-alertness and advancement of empathetic abilities (MHF, Empathy: An MHF Feeling).

When someone has empathy if gives them the ability to look at the situation from the perspective of the client. According to Martin (2014), “empathy in a counseling relationship, involves the ability and willingness to experience a client’s beliefs, thoughts, and feelings through the client’s personal lens” (63). Consequently, by having empathy it will allow you to properly evaluate the whole situation, and provide sustainable help. An empathic heart will promote active listening skills. Being empathic will give you an engaging mindset. Martin states (2014), “Active listening counseling relationship also includes behaviors such as maintaining direct eye contact and observing the client’s body language. This will make for better

For many, starting a conversation with a stranger is a stressful event. We can be lost for words, awkward with our body language and mannerisms. Creating rapport at the beginning of a conversation with somebody new will often make the outcome of the conversation more positive. Rapport is a state of harmonious understanding with another individual or group that enables greater and easier communication. You have rapport with someone when there is mutual liking and trust. Once you've established rapport with a person, he or she is far more likely to be open with you and share information, buy your product, recommend you to others, or support your ideas. It is important to build rapport with your client/colleague as it gets there unconscious mind