Is empathy important in counseling?

Abstract

Empirical evidence supports the commonly held belief that empathy facilitates psychotherapy outcomes. Complete analysis of the literature identified only six studies of empathy and counseling outcomes. Contrary to expectations, empathy does not appear important in counseling. This article discusses reasons for this finding as well as implications for counseling practice, theory, and research.

An Investigation of the Validity of Empathy Measures

“…Chinsky and Rappaport (1970) challenge the validity and reliability of Truax's Accurate Empathy Scale. Basing his conclusions on studies in which the Accurate Empathy Scale was used, Gladstein (1970) notes that the only claim of positive relationship between empathy and psychotherapeutic outcome is made by Truax and Carkhuff (1967). He questions the validity of the Truax Scale and suggests that different instruments might have led to different findings.…”

Understanding empathy: Integrating counseling, developmental, and social psychology perspectives.

“…In other reviews, Lambert, DeJulio, and Stein (1978) and Parloff, Waskow, and Wolfe (1978) also questioned empathy's role in psychotherapy. After separating counseling from psychotherapy studies, Gladstein (1970Gladstein ( , 1977 found that the evidence was mixed. "In effect, despite the large number of theory, discussion, case, and process articles describing the positive relationship between empathy and counseling outcome the empirical evidence still remains equivocal" (1977, p. 75).…”

Relationships among therapist empathy and authoritarianism and a therapist's prognosis.

“…Some past findings concerning the relationship between empathy and outcome of therapy have been mentioned. More recent studies focusing on the relationship between empathy and outcome of therapy have also found the positive relationship mentioned earlier (Gladstein, 1970;Holder, Carkhuff, & Berenson, 1967;Hountras & Anderson, 1969;Mullen, 1970;Mullen & Abeles, 1971;Shapiro, 1969;Stoffer, 1968).…”