Role of empathy in counselling grieving widows and widowers in Lusaka district, Zambia.
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Date
2023
Authors
Chulu, Charity
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
The study sought to explore the role of empathy in counselling grieving widows and widowers in Zambia. The study objectives were to: to ascertain how Cognitive empathy as a counselling technique helps widows and widowers to pass through grieving period; to describe how Emotion empathy as a counselling technique helps widows and widowers to pass through grieving period; and to describe how Compassionate empathy as a counselling technique helps widows and widowers to pass through grieving period. Since this was a qualitative study intended to describe role of empathy in counselling grieving widows and widowers in Zambia, a descriptive survey design was used. The study population comprised widowers and widows in Lusaka District. The study used purposive sampling techniques to select the respondents. The sample comprised 5 widows and 5 widowers. In-depth interview guides were used to collect data from the participants. Results showed that empathy, particularly cognitive, emotional and compassionate empathy are instrumental counselling techniques in helping widows and widowers pass through grief. Cognitive empathy is used to accurately understand the emotions of the individual, emotional empathy is used to give a support system to the grieving individual and compassionate empathy is used to show sympathy, concern, and compassion for the grieving individual. All the subcategories make up empathy in general and none precedes the other. All of them occur at the same time for empathy to be effective. In addition, the study found that grief counselling is best done a counsellor of same gender as the widow or widower. On the basis of the findings, the study recommends an introduction of formal psychosocial support groups in communities that have a professional counsellors and others of the same gender who are going through loss and
grief of a spouse.
Description
Thesis of Master of Science in Counselling.