Research

Empathy Through Sociocultural Poetry: A Six Step Process As more and more students enter schools from diverse social, economic and cultural backgrounds, it is important that teachers and counselors develop culturally sensitive empathy skills. Such skills require sensitivity to social advocacy paradigms (Clemente, Mandell & Tendrup, 1997) and the ability to acknowledge the feelings behind another person's lived experience. Therefore, it is essential that teachers and counselors obtain a working knowledge of the unique cognitive and affective needs of culturally diverse students and clients. I have found sociocultural poetry to be a powerful medium with which to assist teachers and counselors understand the importance of empathy as it pertains to understanding cultural differences. I define sociocultural poetry as writings that address the social, cultural and racial lived experiences of members of oppressed groups (Ingram, 2000). Lived experiences are defined as the stories and narratives that people share about themselves and their world (Ingram & Moule, 2001). Furthermore, perspectives about self and others are developed from the systematic exploration of individual and collective lived experiences (Robinson & Howard, 2000; Sue & Sue, 1990; Uba, 1994). I utilize sociocultural poetry in conjunction with a counselor empathy model (See Yager, Brecht & Ocheltree, 1975 for an elaboration of this model). This model has six steps and focuses on identifying emotional words and the associated content. The goal of the method is to help individuals feel understood. According to Cormier & Cormier (1991), individuals tend to communicate more freely with persons who they feel attempt to understand them. It can also be used with preservice teachers and counselors to 1) develop empathy for the lived experiences of oppressed groups and 2) help them understand self in relation to the world. To begin with, a poem such as "I can see the tops of trees" (see below) is read or recited that pertains to a person’s sociocultural experience. Often the character in the poem or story is the writer, however one should not always make that assumption – the most important consideration is connecting to the lived experience expressed in the poem or story. In other words, begin with a personal experiencing of a poem, move to an analysis of key aspects of the poem, build a resonance with the character(s), and end with an empathic reflection of feeling for the character(s). I Can See the Tops of Trees (Audio link on poetry page) "I can see the tops of trees, but I can’t reach them. Lord knows I’ve tried to reach the tops of trees, in my mind, in my life, in my time. Yet, every time I scale the heights of an old oak tree in order to reach the limb of the highest branch and touch the greenest leaf, Reality gently, but assuredly pushes me back down to the ground. And there I am again looking up at the tops of trees, in my mind, in my life, in my time. I can see the peaks of mountains, but I can’t reach them. Lord knows I’ve tried to reach the peaks of mountains, in my mind, in my life, in my time. Yet, every time I climb the cliffs of the craggiest mountain in order to taste the pureness of untainted snow, Reality gently, but deliberately pushes me back down to the ground. And there I am again looking up at the peaks of mountains, in my mind, in my life, in my time. I can see the crest of clouds, but I can’t reach them. Lord knows I’ve tried to reach the crest of clouds, in my mind, in my life, in my time. Yet, every time I fold my arms in order to cradle a wisp of God’s immaculate breath, Reality gently, but willfully pushes me back down to the ground. And there I am again looking up at the crest of clouds, in my mind, in my life, in my time. I can see the meridian of the sky, but I can’t reach it. Lord knows I’ve tried to reach the meridian of the sky, in my mind, in my life, in my time. Yet, every time I stretch out my arms to seize a piece of Mount Olympus on high, Reality gently, but confidently pushes me back down to the ground. And there I am again looking up at the meridian of the sky, in my mind, in my life, in my time. Reality! Won’t you stop pushing and please . . . Let me dream, let me reach, let me love, let me be!" Sociocultural Poetry: A Six-Step Empathy Training Model

1. "How am I feeling - right at this moment or at the conclusion of the poem?" 2. "What did the writer or the character directly and verbally state about feelings as it pertained to their unique lived experience?" 3. "What did the writer or character express about feelings through nonverbal cues, less obvious or underlying feelings? 4. "If I were the writer or character in this poem and had this person’s lived experience, background, culture, and world view how would I feel?" Please consider the following questions: a). How do I perceive or practice interacting with others from a different background from my worldview and sociocultural reality?" b). "How might I feel if I had experienced the individual’s life or oppression?" 5. "What can I pat myself on the back for with respect to understanding the writer of/or the character in the poem’s lived experience?" 6. "How can I make an empathy statement that demonstrates the character’s lived experience (i.e., maybe incorporating verbal and nonverbal information)? a). "It sounds like the character or writer felt ____________________ when ______________________________________________________." or b). " I notice that the character or writer seemed ____________________ when_____________________________________________________."

Please note, if there is difficulty understanding the character’s lived experience as it relates to culture, gender, or ethnicity, attempt to resonate with the feelings, thoughts or non-verbal behavioral cues that exist behind the lived experience. In other words, acknowledge and validate the feelings, thoughts and nonverbal cues expressed.

References

Clemente, R., Mandell, A., & Terndrup, A. (1998). Social activism and counseling integration to two paradigms. The Counselor, 9(5), p. 1, 13-14. Cormier, W. H., & Cormier, L. S. (1991). Interviewing strategies for helpers: Fundamental skills and cognitive behavioral interventions (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co. Ingram, M. A. (2000). Shelling beans: The use of sociocultural poetry to assist pre-service teachers and counselors develop empathic understanding of cultural differences. Washington, DC (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 450 326) Ingram, M., & Moule, J. (2001). Considerations for culturally competent work samples. In L.M. Cohen, & A.A. Foshay (Eds.), Writing a work sample: A step-by-step guide for pre-service and inservice teachers. Cincinnati: Ohio: Thomson Learning.. Robinson, T., & Howard, M.H. (2000). The convergence of race, ethnicity and gender: Multiple identities in counseling. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Sue, D.W., & Sue. D. (1990). Counseling the culturally different: Theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley. Uba, L. (1994). Asian Americans: Personality patterns, identity, and mental health. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Yager, G.G., Ochlteree. J.K., & Brekke, D. (1975). Cognitive self-modeling approach vs. Carkhuff model for empathy training. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association, Washington, D.C. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service Number 106726).