It involves, first, seeing someone else's situation from their perspective and, second, sharing their emotions, including, if any, their distress. "According to the College of Nurse of Ontario (2006) ), empathy is one of the five key components of the nurse-client relationship and is one of the most powerful tools. You don't need to know how the patient feels to be empathetic, but let them knowing that you are trying to understand is a good start. It can be used to describe a variety of experiences and has been defined by emotional researchers “as the ability to imagine what someone else might think or feel” (University of California, Berkeley). Having the ability to empathize does not mean that you will or that you will be willing to help someone in need, but it is an important first step towards a compassionate approach.
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