WEEK FIVE 08/10/2014
Tonight’s class was mainly focused on personal development and developing an understanding of empathy. We were given a picture of jelly bean people in a tree and each jelly bean was positioned in a certain way and had a certain facial expression. I was told to choose a character that I felt would resemble me in that moment. I chose one that was sitting on a branch in the middle of the tree, clinging onto the trunk. I wasn’t too sure why this particular character stood out to me, but when I thought about it and studied the image, I realised that it symbolised that I am feeling that there are things happening that would normally bring me down, but that I am determined to not be brought down and I am clinging on. The sad face indicates that I recognise these goings on and that they are in fact making me feel sad, but I will not let go of the tree trunk or let myself fall. I found this exercise very helpful in regards to my personal development, as it made me recognise my issues. Now that I am aware of some of my issues, I can work on what I need to do to resolve them.
We watched a video clip of Carl Rogers where he is describing and explaining what understanding empathy means to him. From this clip, I learnt quite a lot and I definitely feel that I understanding the meaning of empathy more. To be empathic to a client, you must understand the position they’re in by trying to put yourself in their shoes. You can do this by asking them questions in order for you to understand. If you don’t ask questions then you will automatically make assumptions. I’ve learnt that trying to put yourself into someone else’s world is a key element to empathy and unless you actively listen, you are not going to be able to respond empathically.
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