Creative Interventions for Teaching Empathy in the Counseling Classroom

ABSTRACT

Empathy is a foundational, necessary component of successful counseling. Relaying an understanding of empathy, including the components and science behind the phenomenon, is critical to the development of counselors-in-training. In addition, creative practice is a pillar of professional counseling, and is linked to experiential learning and meaningful integration of new knowledge in counselor education. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the definitions of empathy, provide current literature on the science of empathy, and discuss specific creative interventions to use within counseling courses to increase empathic knowledge and skills.

KEYWORDS:

• Counselor education
• creativity in counseling
• empathy

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hope Bell

Hope Bell is with the Counselor Education Program of the School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.