The term "empath" is widely used across social media and popular self-help literature. Being an empath goes beyond having empathy. It is often used to describe someone with a heightened ability to sense others’ emotions. Some self-identified empaths also describe exceptional skills or perceptual abilities that defy logical explanations. How can we think about this psychoanalytically and clinically?
Therapists are more frequently encountering individuals who identify as empaths, both in clinical settings and within the profession itself. Some therapists also embrace this label.
What is the significance of being an empath? Where does this term originate, and why does it resonate so strongly today? What might our patients who identify as empaths be trying to communicate about their inner world? And how can psychoanalysis enhance our understanding of empaths and their experiences?
Join us for a presentation and discussion with Kim Rorie, MA, MSW, LICSW. Kim is currently a PhD. Candidate at the Institute for Clinical Social Work. She has taught MSW students at St. Mary’s University and at the University of St Thomas, as well as in the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (PPTP) program at MPSI. Kim has been a therapist in Private Practice since 2017, and a member of the MPCSWA steering committee since 2018. She is also a former Fellow at the MPSI Psychotherapy Center.
This is a virtual event. A Zoom link will be emailed to you two days before the event on Friday, March 14.
