title: Empathy from the client's perspective: A grounded theory analysis.
abstract: Although empathy is one of most robust predictors of client outcome, there is little consensus about how best to conceptualize this construct.
  
  
  
  The aim of the present research was to investigate clients' perceptions and in-session experiences of empathy.
  
  
  
  Semi-structured, video-assisted interpersonal process recall interviews were used to collect data from nine clients receiving individual psychotherapy at a university psychology clinic.
  
  
  
  Grounded theory analysis yielded a model consisting of three clusters: (1) relational context of empathy (i.e., personal relationship and professional relationship), (2) types of empathy (i.e., psychotherapists' cognitive empathy, psychotherapists' emotional empathy, and client attunement to psychotherapist), and (3) utility of empathy (i.e., process-related benefits and client-related benefits).
  
  
  
  These results suggest that empathy is a multi-dimensional, interactional process that affects-and is affected by-the broader relationship between client and psychotherapist.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: MacFarlane
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: McClintock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011613:Psychotherapy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: empathy; grounded theory; interpersonal process recall; qualitative