Empathy as a Method: from the Stainpoint of Modern Humanistic Psychotherapy

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Abstract

The article deals with an understanding of empathy in the context of the the prob- lems of subject matter and the method of psychotherapy. The focus is on the current state and development approaches in the branch traditionally called as humanistic or existential-humanistic psychotherapy. Status of empathy as a method of therapy is associated with the concept of the subject matter of work in a particular approach or school. Most often, the empathy is recognized as the method when the recogni- tion of experience as the subject matter of psychotherapeutic work takes place. Most obviously, this is done in modern experiantial approaches. We consider the specif- ics of experiantial methods in focusing-oriented therapy (E. Gendlin), emotiona — focused therapy (L. Greenberg, R. Elliott et al.), coexperiencing psychotherapy (F.E. Vasilyuk).

General Information

Keywords: psychotherapy, humanistic psychotherapy, experience, empathy, experiantial approach, person-centered approach, focusing-oriented psychotherapy, emotion-focused psychotherapy, coexperiencing psychotherapy

Journal rubric: Theory and Methodology

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpp.2016240510

Funding. The research has been supported by a grant from the Russian Foundation for Humani- ties (grant № 15-06-10889 “Synergic-Phenomenological Approach in the Сonsulting Psychology”).

For citation: Karyagina T.D. Empathy as a Method: from the Stainpoint of Modern Humanistic Psychotherapy. Konsul'tativnaya psikhologiya i psikhoterapiya = Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy, 2016. Vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 178–204. DOI: 10.17759/cpp.2016240510. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Tatyana D. Karyagina, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor of the Department of Individual and Group Psychotherapy, Faculty of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, online-school "Psychodemia", Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1999-0839, e-mail: kartan18@gmail.com

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