Developing Empathy: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Understanding Compassion for Therapists and Parents

by Katharina Manassis

Empathy is valued across cultures, and has a profound impact on psychotherapy, our children, and our world. Why then are many human relationships not empathetic? This volume describes in detail the neurobiological, psychological, and social elements involved with empathy. Ideas are brought to life with case examples and reflective questions which help the reader learn ways to overcome empathetic barriers. The book shows how fear, anger, and anxiety all take away the power to feel for others, while also looking at the topic through a global lens. Developing Empathy is an easy-read book, backed by science, useful to the clinician, and to all readers interested in the topic.

230 pages, Hardcover

Published April 26, 2017

About the author

Dr. Katharina Manassis is the author of eight mental health-related books for parents and professionals. She is a retired Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist with two wonderful adult children, one on the autism spectrum.
Career highlights included developing and directing a clinical-research program in Childhood Anxiety Disorders at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; studying the causes and cognitive behavioral treatment of Anxiety Disorders with over 90 related peer reviewed papers; being a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and supervising numerous graduate students at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Institute of Medical Science; and managing a diverse private practice in her home community of Pickering, Ontario.
Since retiring from practice, she continues to write, teach, and volunteer with her church and with Parks Canada.