Empathy is seen as multifaceted and complex but it is important to remember that empathic understanding is what is essential to effective therapy

Almost from the outset of person-centred therapy there have been efforts to deconstruct and understand the empathic process. Recently, these have included ‘reconsiderations’ by Barrett-Lennard (1997), Bozarth (1997) and Shlien (1997), an analysis as to how empathy ‘cures’ (Warner 1996: 127–143), a description of ‘five kinds of empathy’ (Neville 1996: 439–453), an edited volume concerned with the history, theory and practice of empathy (Haugh and Merry 2001) and a recapitulation and updating of the classic client-centred view (Freire 2007). The intention behind each of these works and others addressing empathy is to explore and explain the concept, to make what it is and/or how it operates clearer.