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Empathy Practice Program
​What?

The Empathy Practice Program offers a structured way to practice empathy and provides a certificate of completion after 20 hours of empathy practice. 

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How?

  1. Enroll in the program.

  2. Find a partner to practice empathy with.

  3. Connect online or in-person and exchange empathy

  4. Submit a Empathy Session Summary

  5. Repeat steps 2-4 until accumulated 10 hours of giving empathy + 10 hours of receiving empathy = 20 hours.

  6. Contact us to claim your certificate upon completion.

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Recommend you look at the Empathy Session Summary form before meeting for the first time to know what notes to take.

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Feel free to use the Empathy Buddy Handbook for more suggestions and structure.

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Why?

Practice is integral to learning and gaining NVC skill:

  • The skill of empathic listening without judging/giving advice requires practice practice practice.

  • Identifying what feelings and needs resurface regularly and finding my patterns is an important part of understanding myself thus healing/growing.

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This program is meant to bring structure and ease to participants who are working hard towards the goal of integrating NVC into their lives. The program brings people together to practice empathy in a mistake-accepting space and recognizes participant achievement upon completion.

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FAQs

 

How much does this cost? The Empathy Practice Program is free. You will receive a free electronic certificate upon completion.

 

​Are there any requirements to participate? No, however it would be more beneficial if you attended at least one Nonviolent Communication course/workshop and/or read the Marshall Rosenberg's book NVC Language of Life.​

 

How can I find a partner? There are many ways to find a partner. Reach out to someone you already know from a previous course. Ask on NVC-related Facebook communities or 24/7 Instant Empathy. Join the next Connecting Communication event to see if there might be a fit with another participant.  ​

 

Can I just give empathy without receiving empathy in a session? Yes, as long as there will another session where you are receiving empathy for an equal amount of time. You do not need to both receive and give in the same session.

 

​​Do I need to meet with the same partner? No. ​​You can change partners as you see fit. That said, it might be easier to accumulate the hours with one partner.

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Does my partner need to submit their summary of the meeting for the the session to count? Yes. In order to verify the hours and to add integrity to the program it is required to receive summaries from both empathy partners for the session time to count.

 

​By when do I need to submit my Empathy Session Summary? Ideally within 24 hours.

 

​Do I need to write down my partners feelings and needs or mine own? ​Every participant is asked to summarize only their own OFNR and NOT that of their partner - this is for confidentiality/privacy, to meet the needs of choice and safety. 

 

Will my OFNR be kept confidential? Yes​​. Entered information will not be shared without your consent. 

 

What do I do if I was emotionally hurt from my partner during an empathy session? Connecting Communication does not have the capacity support in this situation and requesting you be responsible for your own emotional safety. There are many options on how to deal with being hurt during empathy. You can try to self-connect and/or get empathy from someone else and/or consult with professional therapy providers. Please make sure you feel safe, self-care and meet your own needs before engaging with others.

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Can I apply for more than one certificate? Yes. Connecting Communication is happy to provide certificates for 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 150 hours.​​

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