Embedded Files
NEXT STEP PRACTICES
The Empathy Circle is a way to learn and practice Empathic Listening (also called, Active Listening, Deep Listening, Reflective Listening). This skill of being able to listen deeply, hear the essence and meaning of the speaker, and reflect back, recap, summarize and paraphrase the meaning to their satisfaction. This is a skill and mindset that is foundational to many other activities and practices. It is a foundational skill that is needed in these other practices and activities.
Here we list the activities and how the skill of empathic listening helps. It is a foundational skill, mindset and way of being in these practices.
Being a Deep Listener
The skills learned in the Empathy Circle, help with being able to listen more deeply and attentively in any relationship.
Constructive Dialogue
Counseling and Coaching
Any form of counseling or coaching depends on the counselor or coaches ability to listen well. Counselors are commonly trained in empathic listening.
Person Centered Therapy (Carl Rogers)
Active listening was developed and refined by the therapist Carl Rogers in the context of therapy. It has become a central skill for therapists and there are multiple studies that say effective therapy is based on empathy by the therapist.
Therapist Empathy Predicts Success in Psychotherapy
An updated meta-analysis reveals that therapist empathy is a predictor of better psychotherapy outcomes "A new study, published in Psychotherapy, explores the role of therapist empathy in predicting psychotherapy outcomes. The results of this meta-analysis, conducted by Robert Elliot and a team of researchers, suggests that therapist empathy leads to moderately better results in psychotherapy."
Understanding Approaches: Person Centred and Process Experiential Emotion Focused Therapy
Robert Elliot. This video explains some of the treads or 'person centered tribes' based on Rogers work.
Focusing (Gene Gendlin)
Developed by Gene Gendlin who was a grad student of Carl Rogers. He studied the effectiveness of the therapeutic process and found that clients who talked about their felt experience (their feelings) in the present moment, had the most growth and progress in therapy. He developed the "Focusing" practice where the speaker identifies, follows, and shares their ongoing and changing, in the moment to moment felt experience in their bodies. There is a listener who empathically listens and reflects back what the speaker is saying. So being well versed and skilled in empathic listening, helps with this practice.
"Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters (although it can be provided by peers without training), and can take a number of forms such as peer mentoring, reflective listening (reflecting content and/or feelings), or counseling. " Wikipedia
Empathy Circles (Edwin Rutsch)
A simple practice that takes empathy and empathic listening out of the therapeutic setting into the personal, relational and cultural setting. A gateway practice for all people to relate more effectively with each other. It moves toward learning empathy skills and way of being in a small group (team) instead of as just an individual. Based on the intention to build a culture and society based on mutual empathy. Everyone is encouraged to develop and build on the practice.
Motivational Interviewing (William Miller)
Founded by William Miller. This process was initially developed to address alcohol addiction. The practitioner empathically listens to the addict and in their reflection they work to reflect the motivations/feelings of where the person wants to change. There are feelings around wanting to continue the addiction and feelings for change. The listener reflects and helps the addict tap into and strengthen their motivations for making a change. This practice can be used from making any sort of changes.
Non Violent Communications (Marshall Rosenberg) (also know as; NVC, Compassionate Communications)
Founded by Marshall Rosenberg who was a grad student with Carl Rogers. Insight was that it is helpful to identify the feelings people have and the feelings or needs that people desire.
Imago Relationships Therapy (Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt)
Developed by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt. Uses mutual empathic listening in couples relationships. "Through Imago Relationship Therapy, couples can understand each other’s feelings and “childhood wounds” more empathically, allowing them to heal themselves and their relationships and move toward a more “Conscious Relationship."
Thomas Gordon Training (Thomas Gordon)
Thomas Gordon was an American clinical psychologist and colleague of Carl Rogers. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in teaching communication skills and conflict resolution methods to parents, teachers, leaders, women, youth and salespeople. Wikipedia
Conflict Mediation
Conflict Resolution and Mediation
There are many difference practices and models for conflict mediation. A core to many is for a mediator to empathically listening to participants.
Restorative Circles (Dominic Barter)
Developed by Dominic Barter. Uses empathic listening to address conflict. Goes through a series of steps where a facilitator does empathic listening and supports the the people involved in the conflict to empathically listen to each other. Based on Carl Rogers empathic listening and Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication work.
Similar to Restorative Circles by Dominic Barter, but with the intention set for creating an empathic culture.
Facilitation
Dynamic Facilitation DF (Jim Rough and Rosa Zubizarreta)
Developed by Jim Rough and expanded by Rosa Zubizarreta. In this process the facilitator uses empathic listening to listen to people in a group that are working on a problem, issue, topic, etc. The facilitator calls on and reflects what each person has to say on the topic and they write it down and sort the comments under different headings. This way everyone starts feeling heard and included and it creates a space for creative ideas and next steps to emerge.
Rosa Zubizarreta uses the empathy circle process to start and give people a chance to be hear and be heard in small groups before going into the full process. She also uses the term Empathic Inquiry for the process.
Empathic Design (Human-Centered Design, Design Thinking)
Leaders in the field are IDEO and Stanford d.school. The design process starts with empathy and goes through a series of steps to design anything; from processes, services, products, etc. etc.
Others to Sort
Role Playing
Acting and Improvisation Exercise
Stress Reduction Exercises
Meditation and Mindfulness
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse