217 - Radical Empathy in Counselling
Planning Your CPD as a Counsellor - Bereavement Due to COVID-19
In episode 217 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly are back discussing three more topics:
- In this week’s ‘Counselling Foundations’, we’ll look at radical empathy.
- Next in ‘Focus on Self’, Rory and Ken discuss how to plan your CPD.
- And lastly, Rory speaks with Dr. John Wilson on bereavement due to COVID-19.
Radical Empathy in Counselling [starts at 1:56 mins]
Radical empathy is a required skill for counselling clients that don’t share your values or that you could find incredibly challenging to empathise with.
The key discussions in this section include:
- To cultivate radical empathy when counselling, make sure you're pushing aside prejudices.
- This is an advanced form of empathy - it will be difficult.
- Treat it carefully, make sure you're qualified and have good supervision.
- Look past who they are and what they’ve done to recognise them as a fellow human being.
Free handout download on Radical Empathy is available in the green button above.
Planning Your CPD as a Counsellor [starts at 19:00 mins]
CPD is an essential part of your journey as a counsellor; improving yourself and broadening your knowledge will serve as a benefit in your career.
The main points of this segment include:
- You're learning and bettering yourself for your clients.
- It is the best way you can serve your client.
- The more you learn about your practice, the more you will learn about yourself.
- You can talk with your supervisor and ask them about any recommendations they may have for CPD that will help you to improve.
Bereavement Due to COVID-19 [starts at 35:43 mins]
In this week’s ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Dr. John Wilson on bereavement caused by COVID:
- COVID bereavement has certain differences from regular bereavement such as greater levels of trauma, feelings of guilt and difficulties in making sense of their loss.
- Clients will often suffer from rumination – thoughts going round and round as they try to make sense of something.
- You will help the client to create a new relationship with their deceased loved one.
- Bereavement counselling takes time and patience.
- All grief is unique and individual.