Page 11 - PartA
P. 11
Counselling Skills
! STOP AND THINK!
Are there particular people that you feel you are more
yourself with?
Have you found that the more judgemental you perceive a
person to be, the less likely you are to be yourself? Make
notes in the space below.
Key Fact
Suspending judgement increases genuineness and unconditional
positive regard.
3. Empathetic understanding
Empathy is the ability to try to understand what the client is feeling. This refers to the
counsellor’s ability to understand sensitively and accurately – but not sympathetically
– the client’s experience and feelings in the here and now.
Empathetic understanding is shown by the way that the counsellor attends to the
client and listens and responds to them. It involves trying to see a situation through
the eyes of the client rather than their own.
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