Three types of empathy:


1. Basic

• Teachers and counsellors respond to feelings that have been explicitly communicated. 
• Basic empathy builds trust
• Basic empathy shows students that you are willing and able to deal with feelings.    
  
• Use basic empathy to label feelings or to summarize feelings that have been expressed.
• Use basic empathy to demonstrate that you are able to hear feelings.       

2. inferred (Advanced)

• Response to non-verbal language and cues.
• Teacher pays attention to what is not being said.   
• Useful when students lack feeling vocabulary or when they don’t express their feelings.
• May make student feel understood.
• Be mindful of errors when interpreting.
• May be met with resistance from student.  
• Use to bring feelings in verbal channel of communication.
• Use to identify feelings that are not being expressed verbally.       

3. Invitational

• Encourages students to explore their emotions.    
• Sends the message that it is important to consider emotions to understand and solve problem situations.
• Keeps us from moving too quickly through problem solving.

• Initiated with “How do you feel?” type questions and statements.
• Use to normalize feelings and make experiences easier to talk about.
• Use to encourage discussion of feelings.