Name: Timmy George Varkey

PGDCP Batch: 2022-2024

Email: varkeytimmy@gmail.com

Mobile: 9061580483

Can you describe empathy and sympathy from an experiential perspective? Can you depict 3
such instances from your life which can be considered as sympathy to empathy situation,
empathy to sympathy situation and staying at empathy situation. Share your observations as a
counselor and as a client.
As per my experience, I feel sympathy when I see that another person is suffering and I feel sorry
for him. While in empathy, I am feeling the emotional turmoil that person is going through and
makes sense of what his perspective right now would be.
One instance that I had where sympathy turned into empathy is, during school time, my friend
who was studying in my class was failing his exams. I was feeling sympathy for him. Later when
he approached me and said to me to help him study. He tried to explain his learning difficulties,
and I began to resonate his feeling and started helping him to study.
The empathy to sympathy situation happened when a girl began to tell me about her relationship
which was toxic. I began to feel the sadness that she was feeling and tried to help her move out
from the relationship. However, she was holding on to the relationship even though it was
causing her so much trouble. Later, I felt that I can’t do anything for her and I began to feel
sympathy for her.
A client was describing me about her issues with parents. As I delve deep into her stories, I felt
some of what she felt. As I asked her if she feels helpless during a situation she described, she
told me exactly what described. So the counselling relationship continued.