ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the failure of measures of empathy to reflect clients' views, rather than professionals' views, about an ability to offer empathy. It also examines the inconclusive research evidence that existing courses have enabled professionals to offer empathy, and the disagreement about how empathy is best taught. Teaching programmes described as interpersonal skill training have tended to focus on interpersonal techniques which contributed to empathy rather than the theory which underpin the approach to helping. The extent to which a training programme emphasises a preselected range of techniques or skills is open to speculation. While it is possible that learning occurred as a consequence of these teaching programmes, the extent to which learning outcomes related to the aims of teaching programmes or whether self-perception reflected students' ability to offer empathy in real clinical situations is unclear.
