Wednesday, August 31, 2022
The Importance of Practicing Empathy in Family Therapy
Empathy represents the ability to relate to the emotions and thoughts experienced by another person. Think about the phrase, “If I could walk a mile in your shoes.” Empathy is all about putting yourself in the place of someone else and trying to recognize and feel the same emotions. For family therapy, empathy is important for the therapist to display, but it also is an important trait for family members to possess if they expect to make breakthroughs trying to settle family issues.
There is a tendency for people to think empathy and sympathy are the same things. Sympathy is the ability to recognize and care about the feelings of someone else. On the other hand, empathy takes sympathy a step further by not only caring about another person’s feelings, but also putting yourself in the other person’s shoes to relate to how the other person is feeling.
Sympathy=I care about what you feel.
Empathy=I am feeling what you are feeling.
What is the Relationship Between Empathy and Psychology?
People that measure high on empathy tests typically report they interact in larger social circles, as well as develop more satisfying relationships than people that experience low levels of empathy. Couples that participate in therapy sessions work to develop the traits that define empathy through role-playing a wide variety of relationship scenarios. Psychological tests demonstrate that empathy is a vital trait to possess when interacting with loved ones, but it also helps anticipate reactions, persuade others to take a certain course of action, and improve the relationships developed with employers and professional peers.What is the Role of Empathy in Family Therapy?
Empathy plays a critical role in determining the outcome of family therapy sessions. Deep-rooted animosity can derail any attempt for family members to resolve long-lasting problems, such as a lack of respect shown by a child towards one or both parents. For the therapist side, empathy helps create a bond of trust, which is especially important for developing a strong relationship with cynical teenagers. Therapists that display a high level of empathy help clients overcome the mental and emotional roadblocks that form because of highly negative past experiences.Family members that have built a strong level of empathy are much more likely to see things the same way another family member sees things. Creating a mutual understanding is the foundation for building relationships that help resolve issues, not destroy family relationships. Empathy is not about pitying a family member, and a successful therapist emphasizes this when conducting family therapy sessions.
Is There a Cost of Caring?
Is it possible to care too much about the feelings and emotions expressed by a family member? Some research studies indicate some people are much more influenced by someone’s feelings and emotions than other people. One study released in 2013 demonstrated that highly empathetic women who find out a close friend went through a tragic life event experienced up to 14 percent more stress in their lives. Highly empathetic men who learn that a friend or a family member received a demotion experienced up to 15 percent more stress.One of the many roles of a successful therapist involves identifying the highly empathetic members of a family before starting therapy sessions.
3 Essential Things Parents Should do to Support their Montessori School
A Montessori kindergarten education revolves around the cooperation of students, teachers, and parents. All 3 have specific roles to play and each one is equally important to the other two. For parents, reproducing a prepared environment at home is an important first step, but parents can also help support their schools in these 3 important ways.
1. Communicate With Teachers
Private kindergarten teachers hold regular meetings with parents. This allows both adult sides of the pyramid to voice concerns and make observations about advances that affect how the children will be guided as time goes on. Conferences are held privately and conducted with children present in most circumstances because children are a third of the equation and their voice deserves to be heard.2. Volunteer Duty
School events and activities can always profit from parents donating their time and experience. From career days to field trips, there will be many opportunities for parents to participate in classroom activities. Some parents are comfortable serving as chaperones on field trips and others prefer things like baking cookies for a class event, but every parent can contribute in one or more ways and every contribution enhances the quality of education being given to the whole class. If you really want to get involved, attend school meetings and help your child's school become exactly the kind of school your child deserves.3. Cooperation
In order to do the job you expect from them, Montessori teachers need your support and respect. One way that cooperation benefits your children is when their teacher suggests that you could practice a specific type of activity with your child. This may be requested if your child needs a little extra help with a subject, but it could just as easily be given because your child has shown a spectacular aptitude or skill that should be fostered and encouraged. In both situations, your cooperation will give your child an opportunity to shine, get through a difficult concept, or even encourage participation in larger classroom activities.Sure, you have a busy schedule and pay tuition for your child's private education, but nothing should be more important than playing an active role in helping your kids develop into the best members of society they can be. From inspiring all of the kids on career day to keeping children safe at the zoo, the parental side of the Montessori triangle assists students in reaching early developmental goals and has the added benefit of demonstrating to children that the parents and teachers stand united in wanting only the best for them.
4 Reasons Active Outdoor Time Expands Your Elementary School Child's Potential
All elementary school children benefit from spending time outside. Whether the child is wrapped up in solitary observations or taking part in group or team activities, getting outside makes them healthier, happier, and better equipped for the life ahead of them. The natural world even assists in teaching math, language, and a stronger vocabulary.
Physical Activity
Running, jumping, climbing, and throwing are important physical skills that are improved with practice. Active outdoor time allows Montessori elementary school students to flex muscles, improve coordination, and promote the development of critical thinking skills, math concepts, and more in the process. To provide a single example, throwing a ball requires strength, dexterity, and the ability to calculate distance, wind speed, and other factors subconsciously.
Healthy Exercise
Exercise does more than build stronger bones and muscles. Exercise promotes a healthy body, including things like a healthy heart rate, maintaining acceptable blood pressure, and improved lung function. Exercise is good for the whole body, and children who do not get enough exercise struggle with the potential of many types of maladies that include diabetes, obesity, and susceptibility to allergens. Aerobic exercise has been proven to benefit blood flow, but it also causes endorphins to be released into the bloodstream which promotes a better mood and improves mental focus.
Social Interaction
Playing together is great for muscular development, but it is also a critical part of developing strong social skills that will have a permanent effect on children as they get older. Learning to share, working as a team, and negotiating are all social skills that take place during active outdoor activities, and all three are necessary for the development of leadership skills.Creative Discovery
An open field or a clump of trees are both sources of a wealth of nature-based educational opportunities. Learning to plant vegetables, collecting ripe fruit, and learning what types of insects are found in different biomes use the natural world for scientific instruction, and these activities help children learn to develop the bounty and complexity of nature as they learn. Maria Montessori recognized that children learn readily from nature, and outdoor activities have been a vital part of the Montessori Method since its original conception.It is true that children should take part in a wide range of outdoor activities, but getting aside and doing anything at all is a good place to start. There is no limit to the number of ways that children can apply outdoor time, and every one of them provides benefits that positively affect the body, the mind, their attitude, and how well they can interact with others.
5 Most Beneficial Qualities in a Montessori Preschool Teacher
Not all preschool teachers are the same, and there are some key traits parents can look for in an authentic Montessori classroom. With the exception of group activities, teachers encourage children to go about their own business, choosing activities and moving about seemingly at will. This type of education would quickly turn into chaos, except for the training and personal qualities that define a great Montessori preschool teacher.
1. Montessori Training
In addition to a minimum of 4 years of formal education, Montessori preschool teachers also undergo specific Montessori training. This additional training is important because the role of a Montessori teacher is different than traditional public school teachers. Montessori has an edge over public schools, and the teachers are one of the things that make the difference.
2. Positive Role Model
Montessori teachers demonstrate the kind of behavior they want to instill in children. Great Montessori teachers don't get excited or influenced by manipulative behavior, calmly talk out problems with their students, and portray themselves as considerate, caring role models the children can rely on.
3. Montessori Teachers are Observers
Montessori doesn't use grades to describe how children are performing in class. Instead, the teachers carefully observe children individually, guiding them to new projects and goals based on how they are doing with their current objectives. For those children who display unwanted behavior, observation examines how the situation arose and helps children develop the social skills necessary to avoid future problems of the same sort.
4. Communicates With Children
Montessori teachers do not dictate to children, they communicate with them. From discussing the results of a child's latest artwork to helping another discover why the sky is blue, Montessori teachers are referred to as guides because they observe and communicate what they have seen, guiding children to new subjects, ways to overcome new obstacles, and explaining the intricacies of academic endeavors.
5. Guidance Over Demands
People, including children, have a tendency to resist being demanded to do something. Such demands typically involve rewards and punishments, and that runs contrary to the Montessori Method. Instead, internal motivation is encouraged, guiding children to do the right thing or make the right choice voluntarily, and to approach learning new information enthusiastically. This is a critical difference because they manage the classroom without the threat of punishment or ridicule.
Montessori teachers are a breed apart. Without prejudice or command, they maintain an orderly, engaged classroom where children are busily but quietly going about a host of different tasks, each chosen to some degree by the child herself. Once you have witnessed a Montessori classroom and the peaceful assurance of the teacher you will understand how these qualities provide a better form of teaching.