From accurate empathy to complex reflections: How did we get here?

2012 ICMI – Venice, Italy
From accurate empathy to
complex reflections: How
did we get here
Joel Porter, BS, MA, PsyD
HMA & Associates
Christchurch, New Zealand
Community Alcohol & Drug Services
Auckland, New Zealand

Reflection of feelings
Although I am partially responsible for the use
of this term to describe a certain type of
therapist response, I have, over the years,
become very unhappy with it. A major reason
is that “reflection of feelings” has been not
infrequently taught as a technique, and
sometimes a very wooden technique at that...
Carl Rogers (1986)

Person Centred Therapy
•Has an underlying theory
•Non directive therapy
•Is directional in nature
•Accurately empathizing is fundamental
•Counsellor attributes

MI
•No unified theory of MI
•Collaborative
•Directional, guiding
•Goal oriented towards change
•Reflective listening (accurate empathy)
•No practitioner attributes defined

Common ground
Client Centered
Therapy
Motivational
Inteviewing
Acceptance
accurate empathy

From accurate empathy to
complex reflections: Where to
from here

What is MI
•A psychotherapy
•A counselling approach
•A conversational style
•A technique
•A way of being
•A bit of all of the above
•None of the above

Wooden techniques & MI

The person
•Practitioner’s ability to demonstrate
accurate empathy
•Change talk is comes out of a “empathic
therapeutic relationship”
•Attributes of the practitioner

So
•Theoretical Identity
•Time to grow up
•Genuine empathic listening is the essential
skill
• Bamboozled by change talk
•Training implications
•Teaching empathy vs. becoming empathic