The differential effects of empathic reflection and the Gestalt empty-chair dialogue on depth of experiencing when used with an issue of unfinished business

• Main Author: Maslove, Vera Joyce
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/28433

The purpose of this study was to compare the differential effects of two counselling interventions (empathic reflection and the Gestalt empty-chair dialogue on client process (as measured by the Experiencing Scale) when used with a client issue of unfinished business. The population consisted of 28 subjects drawn from graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in a counselling course at a major university. Subjects were randomly assigned to the empathic reflection condition or to the Gestalt empty-chair dialogue condition. The empathy scale of the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory (RI) was administered to subjects to assess their perceived therapist's empathy. The process measure the Experiencing Scale was used to measure the in-session differential effects of the two counselling interventions. The study showed that the Gestalt empty-chair dialogue condition produced significantly higher levels of experiencing than the empathic reflection condition. The results suggest that the Gestalt empty-chair dialogue in the context of an empathic reflationship may make a contribution to the treatment of unfinished business. === Education, Faculty of === Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of === Graduate