THERAPY TALK: Empathy  

Empathy is a word you will often come across in the therapy world. It is one of those words that packs a big punch, and we know is important. But, what exactly does it mean?

Simply put – empathy is the ability to truly understand someone else’s feelings from their perspective. Empathy is when we step into someone else’s shoes and feel with them, not for them. While empathizing comes naturally for some people, it is a skill that can be learned by most. Empathizing with others is a skill that we often start learning in childhood – but not to worry – no matter how old you are, you can always fine-tune (or build up) your empathy skills.

Similar to empathy, is sympathy: the ability to feel sorrow or pity for someone else’s experience. But sympathy and empathy are not the same. Brene Brown has a fabulous short-video that depicts how the two differ. This short animation is one of our go-to recommendations for folks who want to better understand empathy vs sympathy, and you can check it out here:

In the clip, Brene Brown notes that empathetic statements rarely begin with ‘at least’. A statement as simple as “oof, I don’t even know what to say right now, I’m just so glad you told me” can be empathic and lead to true support and validation of the other person’s emotional experience. Empathy, as Brene Brown so wisely identifies, is truly about connection.