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.

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.

Links and Resources

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

Counsellor CPD

Counselling Study Resource

Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide

Counselling Tutor Shop

Facebook group

Website

Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide

Online and Telephone Counselling Course