Engaging with the client’s existential concerns: the impact on therapists and counselors

Frediani, Gianina; Krieckemans, Leen; Seijnaeve, Alexandra; Vanhooren, Siebrecht

doi:10.1080/14779757.2022.2133000

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Qualitative studies have recurrently shown how mental health professionals often feel overwhelmed by these existential concerns, feel unequipped to work with existential issues, and how the existential struggles of their clients evoke existential questions and struggles in themselves(e.g., Hill, 2017;Lundvall et al, 2018;Sundström et al, 2018;Ulland & DeMarinis, 2014). However, a recent meta-synthesis of two qualitative studies with 19 mental health workers who were experienced in working with existential concerns has also shown how their capacity to be and empathize with these specific clients' struggles can grow through their careers (Frediani et al, 2022). In the same line, trainees in existential empathy have recurrently expressed how their empathy to the existential concerns of their clients has grown during their training, although they were already trained in empathy during their previous psychotherapy trainings (Vanhooren, 2018).…”

Section: Existential Empathy Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

The Development of the Existential Empathy Questionnaire

Vanhooren

Bosquetti

Frediani

2022

Journal of Humanistic Psychology

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Therapist empathy toward existential concerns might be a critical component of clinical practice. This study aims to explore the psychometric properties of the Existential Empathy Questionnaire (EEQ), a self-report instrument developed to measure levels of existential empathy among mental health professionals. The EEQ was completed by a sample of 393 therapists recruited in Belgium, along with measures of general empathy, experiential avoidance, and existential avoidance. To assess the test–retest reliability, 353 participants of the same sample completed the EEQ a second time 2 weeks later. Clinical experience and therapeutic theoretical background were assessed to inform professional characteristics. The results support the use of the EEQ as a unidimensional measure of existential empathy. It demonstrates good internal reliability and temporal stability. A principal components analysis indicates three components with small to moderate intercorrelations, labeled as “Communication,” “Avoidance and Overwhelming Feelings,” and “Resonance and Presence.” EEQ total scores show a moderate positive association with general empathy and a moderate negative association with experiential and existential avoidance. Furthermore, the EEQ significantly uniquely predicts experiential and existential avoidance after controlling for general empathy. Years of clinical practice and a humanistic-oriented therapeutic approach correlated moderately with high EEQ scores.

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