Each MCD Relationship Competency identifies 6 Skills, along with specific practices for learning each. For more context about MCD Relationship Competency 2: Empathy, see Skill 1: Identify the differences between empathy and other responses to difficulty.

Skill 2: Identify what prevents you from offering empathy: your own unmet needs 

These are some possible obstacles for offering empathy:

• your own unmet needs (especially your own need for empathy)

• fear of collusion

• fear of making it worse

• fear of triggering conflict or escalating reactivity

• fear of not being able to set a boundary

• fear of not being heard

PRACTICE

Take a moment now to identify what most often keeps you from offering empathy. Then identify your own feelings and needs at that moment. How could you take care of yourself so that you could choose to offer empathy if you wanted to?