Counselor’s Corner
Sierra Vista & Cedar Ridge Elementary| October 2023 | ISSUE 2
Role of the School Counselor
by Rachel Brown, School Counselor
Hello Students and Families!
This month’s lesson for all grade levels was about
Empathy. What is Empathy exactly? Empathy is the
ability to put oneself in another person’s situation in order
to understand their feelings and thoughts. We have also
heard the expression, empathy is when “we walk in
someone else's shoes.” Now this is not a literal
statement, it is figuratively speaking. Empathy is about
perspective taking and making a connection with the other
person.
Why is Empathy Important?
Empathy is important for several reasons:
➔ Empathy allows us to show care and concern to
others.
➔ Empathy helps us to have a better connection with
others.
➔ Empathy can help us to practice our active
listening skills and to learn how to better respond
to someone.
➔ Empathy helps us to validate how someone may
be feeling.
➔ By showing empathy, we can be an advocate and
stand up for others in certain situations. We can
learn to be helpful to others.
How do I practice or
become more empathetic?
1) Observe - how might this person be feeling? Pay
attention to body language - look at their face, or
the tone of their voice to gain an understanding of
how they may be feeling.
2) Think - how might I feel If I were this person?
3) Ask - how you're feeling? Can I help you?
4) Reading fictional books, participating in a
play/musical or taking acting classes, by watching
movies with others (to gain an understanding of
their feelings).
What can Empathy do for me?
Empathy can make us a better person and a
better friend. When we show empathy, we can show a
deeper understanding of the needs of others. It also
allows us to engage and build a connection with others on
a deeper level. It can help you know how to better respond
to others.
What is the difference between
Empathy and Sympathy?
This is such a great question! The definition of
Empathy is: “the ability to share and understand the
feelings of another.” Sympathy is defined as:
“feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s
misfortune.” The easiest way for me to remember this is
that Empathy is a verb because it shows action.
Empathy helps us build a deeper connection with that
person. Sympathy can also mean that we can relate or
understand someone’s feelings, but empathy goes a step
further by showing action. For example, if your neighbor’s
house burned down, you definitely have sympathy or feel
sorry for their misfortune. To have empathy takes that a
step further by showing action; maybe you help your
neighbor by letting them stay with you while their situation
gets resolved, or maybe you help them with financial, food
or clothing donations during this time.
Please be sure to contact me directly if you have
any questions for me. I can be reached by phone:
719-547-2878 (SVE), 719-547-8268 (CRE) or by email:
rbrown@district70.org