Empathic Attunement Essay

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Empathic Attunement
Empathy
To understand what empathic attunement is it is also important to understand what empathy is. Empathy is the ability to place oneself in another persons shoes and see the world through the others persons eyes without judgement or criticism ( Goldstein, 2007). By having the ability to experience how it is for another person you can begin to understand how this person views the world they live in. It is important to remember that many clients present for therapy with a sense of vulnerability. They may have difficulty expressing their experiences and it is the therapists role to sense more and gain an understanding of what they are saying. E.g “Behind your words I am hearing you say that your sacred”. Empathy can help …show more content…

Attunement is communicated by the response of therapist along with the body language of the therapist that show the client his or her affect and needs are recognised and are important ( Erskine, 1998). Empathic attunement is the essence of the therapeutic alliance. It is a process used in psychotherapy by the therapist to attune to the clients phenomenological experience. By focussing on the clients inner experiences the therapist is guided with responses that are attuned to the clients answers. This is done by reflecting on the feelings of the client in the here and now experience ( Vanaerschot & …show more content…

It’s a similar process that an attuned Mother has with her child. The Mother will notice her childs distress and offer steps to comfort her child. In the therapeutic relationship attunement is about giving appropriate responses ( Finlay). The therapist tunes into ways the client is different rather than projecting their own experiences e.g” I know how you feel because I have a similar relationship with my daughter”. The therapist will respond to the clients perception of their reality at that moment. A good rapport between therapist and client is required for empathic attunement to occur and this is something that may develop over time (Ferraro). Trust will need to be built between the therapist and client so that the client can explore their feelings and concerns knowing they are in a safe enviroment. Fear and anxiety may cause the client to stop exploring along with misattunement and non attunement on the therapists part ( McCluskey, Hooper & Miller). Effective empathic attunement requires the therapist to focus on the clients process whilst being aware of their internal processes along with recognising the boundaries between the client and themselves ( Erskine,

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