UNLOCKING THERAPEUTIC CONNECTIONS: CAN EMPATHY BE DEVELOPED AMONG PSYCHOLOGY UNDERGRADUATES THROUGH TRAINING?

Abstract

Despite being an irreplaceable cornerstone in the psychology profession, developing empathy competencies seems to have taken a back seat in Singapore’s undergraduate psychology curriculum. This raises the question of whether psychology graduates are sufficiently equipped to handle clients proficiently. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a pilot three-session empathy training programme, that built on existing evidence-based empathy training programmes, in improving empathy among 173 psychology undergraduates. It also sought to explore the mechanisms that influence changes in empathy. Participants completed questionnaires on empathy, alexithymia (or lack of emotional self-awareness), and mood states. Results revealed that the empathy training programme significantly improved participants’ trait and state empathy, which were unaffected by negative mood states and were sustained over time. These improvements, however, were not translated into improvements in the expression of empathy. The empathy training programme also did not lead to improvements in alexithymia, a widely substantiated mechanism of change in empathy. Possible reasons for the results and directions for future studies were discussed. Overall, this study illustrated that empathy can be developed among psychology undergraduates and it is worthwhile to do so in a profession where clinician’s empathy forms the foundation for unlocking therapeutic connections.