Lacking empathy directive

Since last week we had talked about a time each group member felt empathy for someone, I decided that this week, we should talk about a time each patient had lacked empathy for another person. Most talked about how it is difficult to have empathy for other patients who are hard to get along with. A couple talked about not having empathy for staff, though one did go back and try to fix the situation with the staff he felt he offended. So, that showed pro-social behavior as a result of feeling empathy for someone else. At the end of the group, I emphasized that it's important to be aware of when you feel empathy for another as well as when you don't, so then you can figure out what you can do about.

Recent Empathy Directive

Last week, I asked my Empathy group members think about a time they felt empathy for someone in the last 3 months and to create an image about that. It was interesting to see who each person felt empathy for. One patient, who was new to sex offender treatment, chose a character from a movie. He later admitted that it was safer for him to empathize with someone in a movie rather than in real life. Another patient empathized with the parents of a child who had been killed which he saw on the news. He was able to relate how those parents felt to how the parents of his victims felt. I'll use this Art Therapy directive on occasion to help the patients think about times they have felt empathy and to explore it a little more.

What is empathy?

This was the first week of a new quarter, so for the first session of the Empathy group, I asked the group members to create an image to represent what empathy meant to them. I had several new members, so this helped me get an idea of their thoughts and feelings about the topic. I had done this directive in the past, and one patient actually drew himself squished inside a boot, to represent putting himself in someone else's shoes. It was telling that he looked uncomfortable and had anxiety lines drawn around him. This quarter, most of the patients drew symbolic images to represent trying to feel or understand what another is feeling and going through.

Overwhelmed directive

Last quarter, I had the Empathy group members create an image about a time they noticed that someone else felt overwhelmed. This helped them to be in tune with different cues another person might be giving, such as body language or behavior. One patient drew about a peer who attempted suicide and how that peer tried to give away some of his belongings beforehand. It also led to discussion of how we can help others who seem overwhelmed. They were also able to relate the feeling of being overwhelmed with how their victims may have felt or still feel.

Supervision Exercise

This week in supervision, I asked the group to write a letter and/or draw a picture to one of the patients they were having a hard time with. I got this idea of the "unsent letter" from the book, Creative Supervision by Mooli Lahad. Some of the ideas from her book seemed a little out there or involved for my supervision group, but this free writing exercise was a big hit. It helped the therapists have an outlet for their countertransference. It helped them be more aware of it, so they are able to deal with their responses to these difficult patients better. One therapist wrote what she learned from the patient, another wrote phrases that she could actually use with the patient. You could even do this on your own to vent or gain insight. Just be sure not to put the patient's real name on it or leave it in an unsecured area! We'll definitely do this exercise again...

Feeling Embarrassed Directive

This week, I asked my Empathy group members to create an image about a time they felt embarrassed or humiliated. At first, some patients couldn't think of anything embarrassing that happened to them. We talked about how we sometimes repress those memories because the associated feelings can be painful to think about. I told them they should choose a memory that they felt comfortable talking about, as one patient said he didn't want to share some really embarrassing moments from his past. The patients were able to talk about their situations and feelings and relate their feelings to how their victims may have felt or still feel.

Group Drawing

This week in my Empathy group, I had the members create a group drawing. Each person had 2 minutes to add to the drawing and then it went around again and each person had a minute more to add to it. This was a good exercise about boundaries, and I also noticed that each person generally drew their own thing, not taking into consideration what the others had drawn. Each patient seemed pretty self-absorbed in his own thoughts, ideas, or issues. I pointed out that when this happens, he may have less empathy for others because he is so focused on himself. I then had them do another group drawing with the instruction to try to be a little more aware of what the other group members drew and what was going on for them. The second drawing was more cohesive and supportive than the first disjointed, disconnected one.