Defining therapeutic empathy: the philosopher’s perspective

In this paper, as part of our empathy series, we will introduce the notion of empathy and attempt to define “therapeutic empathy”. While the concept of “empathy” is an umbrella term that involves many different (and sometimes opposing) components, clinical or therapeutic empathy implies more specific characteristics. From a methodological point of view, we will use phenomenological notions and definitions to explore these. From a practical perspective, we will propose features which clinicians may utilise in order to practice therapeutic empathy.