Session 2: Empathy: Heartfelt Listening
In this second session we turn our attention to empathy—what it truly is and, just as importantly, what it is not. Together we will explore how empathy can be mistaken for merely “thinking about” a client rather than genuinely “being with” them, and we will tease apart the distinctions between empathic following responses and reflections of feeling. We will also ask whether empathy begins and ends with emotions (spoiler: it doesn’t), and we will experiment with practical ways to strengthen both our empathic stance and our capacity to hear the other.
Learning Outcomes:
- To develop a clear understanding of the difference between empathic responses and reflective responses.
- To appreciate that empathy reaches beyond feelings alone.
- To gather concrete ideas for nurturing and deepening one’s own empathic processes.
It might offer participants the insight and practical tools needed to meet Rogers’ fifth condition for effective therapeutic process.
For people training in, or interested in, the person-centred approach—from early-career therapists to those of us a bit longer in the tooth.
Person‑Centred Theory & Practice: 12‑Month Masterclass Series
Join us for a purposeful, year‑long exploration of the ideas that animate Carl Rogers’ person‑centred approach. Across eight live, highly interactive workshops—spaced monthly from June 2025 to January 2026—renowned trainer Sheila Haugh will guide you from foundational principles to leading‑edge debates. The programme blends concise theory input, reflective dialogue and live skills practice, supporting you to work with the confidence that “the client knows best.”
Together we will explore…
- Why Trust the Client? Formative, Actualising & Self‑Actualising Tendencies
- Empathy: Heartfelt Listening
- Positive Regard: Is Love the Curative Element?
- A Pyramid or an Iceberg? Authenticity & Congruence
- Psychological Contact: Are We in this Together?
- Client Perception: Essential Person‑centred Communication Skills
- Relational Depth: An Emergent Dynamic?
- Configurations of Self: Exploring Our Plural “Me‑s” in Practice
Secure your place and invest in a year of focused professional growth—building a richer, more responsive person‑centred practice one month at a time.
Course Content
Presenter
Sheila is person-centred therapist, facilitator and consultant/supervisor. Until very recently, she was the Director of Studies Course Leader for the MSc Contemporary Person-Centred Psychotherapy and Applications at the Metanoia Institute in London. She is a former convenor of the BAPCA, and former member of the board of the WAPCECP. She works in the UK and in the Czechia where she has lived for the last 14 years. She was a member of the UKCP Training and Universities College and was involved in the process of getting the titles ‘person-centred psychotherapist’ and ‘client-centred psychotherapist’ registered in the UKCP. She is co-editor of two books and author of a number of chapters, the most recent being Bozarth, J. D., & Haugh, S. (2024). Unconditional Positive Regard. In M. Cooper, G. di Malta, M. M. O’Hara, Y. Gololob, & S. Stephen (Eds.), The Handbook of person-centred Psychotherapy and Counselling (3rd edition, pp. 200–211). Bloomsbury Academic.
