Connecting Issues to Cultural Identities with Empathy
Paul Key
Connecting Issues to Cultural Identities with Empathy
Using the Empty Chair Technique, you sit in a chair with an empty chair in front of you and talk about value differences of conflict you may have with a client, an imaginary them is sitting in the chair talking to you. You would express your view and then listen to their view. The goal of this exercise is to understand that if we can move past our judgements of a person, we may be able to identify points of understanding, which can lead to additional points of connection. This is empathy (Hook et al.,2019). Walking in another person’s shoes without being judgmental bridges our value differences or conflicts. It is not about being right or wrong about our differences in beliefs as a character flaw.
Chose death and dying as my topic. It is a topic I have trouble with, knowing what to say and how to say it I usually begin with the death of my son to let them know I understand their grief and can identify with their pain.
In some cultures, death is a big celebration where they drink and celebrate the passing of an individual. You could ask them if there was any remorse in the persons passing. You also could ask a person where the belief originated that the passing from life to death was a celebratory event , was from. If there was any sadness in the passing of a loved one, or of it was seen as a rite to celebrate.
If you saw that a client was really shaken up by the death you could ask them if they were close and get some information to base you inquisition on. You could tell them “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleeping in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him (ESV,1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).
If a client asked a question about this topic, I would first want to know why they brought it up. If it was related to a loved one’s diagnosis of disease, I would ask them what the doctors were saying, it’s possible that they are worried for no reason if the prognosis is good. It’s easy to let your imagination take over when you are worried about a loved one.
References:
English Standard Version, The Holy Bible (2016). Crossway Bibles.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205%3A16&version=ESV (Links to an external site.)
Hook, J. N., Davis, D., Owen, J., DeBlaere, C. (2017). Cultural Humility: Engaging diverse
identities in therapy. American Psychological Association.
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