Reading for Empathy: Classical Literature for Developing Empathy in Therapists in Training

Abstract

Psychology theoreticians and researchers agree that therapist empathy is important for effective psychotherapy (Rogers, 1951; Bohart & Greenberg, 1999; Watson, Steckley, & McMullen, 2014).Due to diverse conceptualizations of empathy and other factors, traditional methods for teaching empathy may not suffice, and therapist training programs may benefit from supplemental, creative ways to augment therapy growth (Bayne, 2011). This dissertation seeks to illustrate how reading fictional narratives may help build empathy in clinicians. This dissertation includes a review of theory and research surrounding empathy development, therapist training, and links between reading literary fiction and empathy growth (Kidd & Castano, 2013).It also presents a discussion of practical considerations related to incorporating reading fictional literature for empathy growth in psychotherapist formation.