Description
Empathy is one of the therapist’s most important—and sometimes most taken-for-granted—therapeutic tools. Yet, it’s often misunderstood, both conceptually and in terms of application and technique. This workshop will clarify what empathy is (and isn’t), how to achieve a deep empathic connection, and the two distinct modes of verbally empathizing: the conventional “You” mode and the more specialized “Identification” mode. It will also demonstrate special applications of empathy to deepen the therapeutic process with couples and families. Participants will have the opportunity to practice the specialized identification mode of empathy.
Instructor
Dr. Rob Scuka is a Maryland licensed clinical social worker and has been meeting the diverse and complex needs of couples, families, and individuals for the past 15 years.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Rob is Executive Director of the National Institute of Relationship Enhancement® (NIRE) in Bethesda, MD, where he is also a member of NIRE’s training faculty and certified as a trainer and supervisor in relationship enhancement (RE) Therapy, the RE Program, and child-centered play therapy.
Dr. Rob is the author of numerous articles and the book, Relationship Enhancement Therapy: Healing Through Deep Empathy and Intimate Dialogue, published by Routledge in 2005. He holds a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) from the University of Maryland School of Social Work (1994) and has served as an adjunct faculty. Dr. Rob has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Southern Methodist University.
Agenda & Learning Objectives
AGENDA:
| 09:00 |
Registration |
|
09:00 - 10:10
|
Lecture:
History of Empathy
• Carl Rogers
• Bernard Guerney
• Relationship Enhancement Therapy
• The Two Components of Deep Empathy
• The Two Modes of Empathy
|
| 10:10 - 10:20 |
Break |
| 10:20 - 12:00 |
Lecture (Continued):
• The Five Steps of Empathy
• Demonstrating Empathy to Couples Using the Identification Mode focused on a significant childhood experience of each partner
• Teaching Partner
• Appreciations Using the You Mode of Empathy
|
| 12:00 - 12:15 |
Questions & Adjournment |
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
• Conceptualize empathy with clarity
• Explain the differences between the two different modes of verbal empathy
• Describe how to employ specialized applications of empathy such as Becoming and Troubleshooting to better manage the clinical process
• Describe how to effectively teach empathy skills to clients.
Bibliography & References
REFERENCES
• Carré, A., Stefaniak, N., D’Ambrosio, F., Bensalah, L., & Besche-Richard, C. (2013). The Basic Empathy Scale in Adults (BES-A): Factor structure of a revised form. Psychological Assessment, 25, 679-691. doi: 10.1037/a0032297
• Coplan, A. (2011). Understanding empathy: Its features and effects. In A. Coplan & P. Goldie (Eds.), Empathy: Philosophical and psychological perspectives (pp. 3-18). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
• Hall, J. A. & Schwartz, R. (2019.) Empathy present and future. The Journal of Social Psychology 159(3), 225-243.
• Scuka, R. F. (2003). Demonstration of identification mode of empathy within the Relationship Enhancement model. Silver Spring, MD: IDEALS, Inc. DVD. Available through www.nire.org.
• Scuka, R. F. (2005). Deep empathy as the foundation of RE therapy, in Scuka, R. Relationship enhancement therapy: Healing through deep empathy and intimate dialogue (ch. 3, pp. 47-62). New York: Routledge.
• Scuka, R. F. (2005). Embracing the other: Teaching empathic skill, in Scuka, R. Relationship enhancement therapy: Healing through deep empathy and intimate dialogue (ch. 6, pp. 121-138). New York: Routledge.
• Scuka, R. F. (2008). The limits of empathy in Relationship Enhancement therapy,@ in RE/Filial News, March, 2008, published by the Association for Filial and Relationship Enhancement Methods. Available at www.robscuka.com.
• Scuka, R. F. (2015). A clinician’s guide to helping couples heal from the trauma of infidelity. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 14, 141-168.
• Scuka, R. F. (2020). Deep empathy within the context of Relationship Enhancement therapy. Manuscript submitted for publication in a professional journal.
• Woldarsky Meneses. C., & Scuka, R, F. (2016). Empirically supported humanistic approaches to working with couples and families. In D. J. Cain & K. Keenan, & S. Rubin (Eds.), Humanistic Psychotherapies: Handbook of Research and Practice (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
• Zaki, J. (2019). The war for kindness: Building empathy in a fractured world. New York: Crown.
Late Fees and Refunds
Fee & Registration:
Cost is $65.00 and includes CE credit. Registering after June 2, 2021 will incur an additional $20 late fee. *Cancellations must be received 24 hours in advance prior to the live interactive webinar to receive a refund or a credit letter.
*All cancellations will be subjected to a $35.00 administration fee
Target Audience
Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
