The results of a pilot study exploring the application of Empathic Intervision, a peer-to-peer empathy practice, in a national NGO in South Africa.

1. Self, Kinesthetic,
Reflective and
Imaginative Empathy
Dr. Katherine Train &
Dr. Lidewij Niezink

2. Self-empathy
The ability to bring awareness to one’s own experiential state in the
moment and thus to be able to differentiate one’s own experience
from the experience of colleagues and patients

3. Kinesthetic empathy
The ability to participate in another’s movement or sensory
experience of movement and thus to understand a variety of
observed actions, sensations and emotions via mimicry, a form of
direct motor representation

4. Reflective empathy
As a client-centred approach to gathering information, the ability to
actively listen and reflect back what one hears, including factual and
emotional information

5. Imaginative empathy
The ability to apply the cognitive practice of imagination and “as-if”
acting to gain an insider view of a patient or colleague’s experience
in relation to their context

6. Imaginative empathy
1. We have extreme time pressures to see patients and don’t have time
for this approach
2. We can’t get so emotionally involved with our patients/colleagues
3. People come just to be heard and have quality attention, this would
contribute to a placebo effect
4. It helps us to stay humane with our practice

7. EMPATHIC
INTERVISION

8. Pilot intervention study South Africa
The situation:
● A large national NGO providing support for cancer
● Service delivery staff: nurses, social workers and lay-trained staff
○ Expressed a need for help to prevent burnout, compassion fatigue and self-criticism
○ No formal peer-support system in place
○ Harsh work circumstances
○ Work seen as a calling but also never ending
○ Often personal experience with cancer (self or family)

9. Pilot intervention study South Africa
Two phase study:
● Phase I:
○ Pre-test needs survey
○ Semi-structured in-depth interviews with staff and volunteers - empathy
○ Intervention design
● Phase II:
○ Intervention: 2-day training, 6 months monthly follow up meetings
○ Quantitative at T0, T1 and T6: ProQOL, IRI, organisational culture,
intervention evaluation
○ Qualitative: Focus groups

10. Pilot intervention study South Africa
Struggles along the way:
● Two teams included, one fell apart (high-turnover)
● Time/pressure constraints: not all monthly meetings happened

11. Pilot intervention study South Africa
Results:
● Qualitative Phase 1:
○ Empathy expressed with patients did not translate to empathy with colleagues
○ Most empathic behaviours were not consciously recognized as such
● Quantitative: not enough participants for meaningful analyses
in Phase 2

12. Pilot intervention study South Africa
Results:
● Qualitative:
○ Intervention: a lot of enthusiasm and a willingness to change personal behaviours and
organisational challenges
○ Participants highly satisfied immediately after intervention, less so after 6 months.
○ Empathy became a valuable skill to apply with colleagues, patients, family and
self.
○ Participants expressed a need to continue with Empathic Intervision with
all colleagues involved (service delivery and sustainability)

13. Pilot intervention study South Africa
Results:
● Newly learned skills:
○ self-empathy
○ working with own body
○ learning to set intentions
○ learning how to listen
○ perspective taking through embodiment

14. Pilot intervention study South Africa
Yes, it shows: the intentions, I think when you adapt it for yourself, you speak it and
you stand by it. It really make a difference in your life, without you even sometimes
noticing it. But it can be life changing.
- Empathic Intervision participant, SA

15. Pilot intervention study South Africa
What we have learned:
● Empathic Intervision needs practice to become self-sustainable
● ‘Not having enough time’ is a reason to insist on doing it
● We need more teams to study this further

16. Pilot intervention study South Africa
What’s next:
● National rollout and implementation
● Studied along the way with mixed-method design
● Train the trainer make ourselves obsolete

17. Questions?
www.empathicintervision.com
And please come and find us today!
@EmpathicIntervision