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Definition: Empathy is a term used to describe the capacity to both recognize and relate to what another person is feeling. It refers to understanding the inner experience of another, to imagine what they are feeling by standing in their mental shoes.
Empathy is an innate ability we are born with, but it can be practiced and improved. There are two essential aspects to empathy: the ability to tune into what another person is feeling, and responding accurately to this emotional state - either verbally or through a hug or touch.
Tuning in empathically helps a parent better understand what their teen is going through and successfully acknowledge this feeling. For example, in responding with empathy to a suicidal teen, a parent might say, “I understand how desperate you are feeling and how much you want this pain to end.”
Empathy is an essential component in doing therapy with teens. Therapists actively develop their capacity to understand what the teen is feeling, in order to increase the level of trust and understanding between them.
Empathy is a skill sometimes lacking in teens who can benefit from learning how to relate to what others are feeling and understand how their own actions, words or behavior affect other people. This is a skill that is emphasized and taught in treatment programs for teens.
Quick Links: Mental Health Terms Used in Treating Troubled Teens | Trouble Teens Articles | Quiz Is Your Teen At-Risk?