CULTURAL EMPATHY:

PUTTING THE PIECES

TOGETHER

By: Brittany Sill-Turner and

Samara Bockelman
 Discussion
Norms
■ Conversation Norms
– Stay Engaged
– Speak Your Truth
– Experience Discomfort
– Expect/Accept Non-
Closure
■ Discussion
Agreements/Protocol
■ Compass Check in

(Courageous Conversation 2018).

 Working
Definitions:
■ Culture is defined as: learned
perspectives that are unique to a
particular culture and common ground
universals that are shared across
different groups.
■ White Culture: the dominant,
unquestioned standards of behavior
and ways of functioning embodied by
the vast majority of institutions in the
United States
■ Empathy is defined as: the capacity to
understand or feel what another
person is experiencing from within
their frame of reference
■ Cultural Empathy expands the
definition of empathy to include:
intersectionality and positionality
(Gulati-Partee, G., and Potapchuk, M. 2014)
Intersectionality
and Our Lens
■ Each of us has a cultural identity:
• A deep sense of community,
national, cultural, ethnic, and racial
group membership
• This becomes meaningful in
situations of cultural clashing, mixing,
and integration

■ As we being to discuss Cultural

Empathy, it is important that each of us is
aware of our own lens and the identities
that make up our beliefs…who we are!

■ My multicultural self activity

(Teaching Tolerance, 2018)

 Think ! - Pair"# -
Share $
■ After completing the identity map, how does your identity and intersectionality's
impact your interactions with the different populations you work with?
– Gender
– Race
– Ability
– Past Experience
– Family
– Religion
– Education
 Influence of Dominate Culture: Activity
• White culture defines what is considered normal – it creates our standards for
judging values and behavior.

• In groups, you will each focus on three different aspects of our culture. How
does white, dominate culture influence our behavior and beliefs about the
following:
– Communication
– Individualism
– Family Structure
– Work Ethic
– History
– Aesthetics
• For example: When examining the role and presence of whiteness, think about
who and how good parenting is defined? What is valued?

• Groups:
• David, Catherine and Maria – Samara
• Freeland, Rebecca and Kathryn- Brittany

(White Culture Work sheet, 2012 ) and (Garcia, B., Eva Lu, Y., & Maurer, K, 2012)
Video: The impact of Dominate White
Culture and bias

• Group discussion: Compass Check-in and Why

What Can You do to Increase Your
Cultural Empathy
■ [Recognize and] set aside your
own biases and judgments.
■ Listen for the core message in
what the client says.
■ Listen for both verbal and
nonverbal messages.
■ Be flexible and tentative to give
clients room [to give voice to their
experience].
■ Be gentle and keep focused on
primary issues…
■ Check out if your empathic
response was on target [and] is
helpful. (Chung Chi-Ying, and Bemak, 2002)
 References
■ Chung Chi-Ying, Rita and Bemak, Fred. “The Relationship of Culture and Empathy in Cross-Cultural
Counseling.” Journal of Counseling & Development, vol. 80, no. 2, 2002, pp. 154–159., doi:10.1002/j.1556-
6678.2002.tb00178.x.
■ Gulati-Partee, G., & Potapchuk, M. (2014). Paying Attention to White Culture and Privilege: A Missing Link to
Advancing Racial Equity. The Foundation Review, 6(1), 25-38.
■ Garcia, B., Eva Lu, Y., & Maurer, K. (2012). Cultural Empathy: Implications of Findings from Social Work
Objective-Structured Clinical Observation for Field Education. Field Educator, 2.2, 1-8. Retrieved from
http://www2.simmons.edu/ssw/fe/i/Garcia_Lu.pdf
■ White Culture Work sheet developed by M. Potapchuk, MP Associates Transforming White Privilege: A 21st
Century Leadership Capacity, ©CAPD, MP Associates, World Trust Educational Services, 2012 Retrieved from
http://racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/whtieculturehandout.pdf
■ https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/my-multicultural-self

■ Equity&Partnerships / Courageous Conversation. (2018).Pps.net. Retrieved 24 February 2018, from

https://www.pps.net/Page/2313