Empathy Training – Case Study

Maria and Philippe are both in their mid-seventies. They are both retired, and spend their time travelling, participating in community activities, and engaged with various hobbies. Philippe had a hip replacement a few years ago and has some issue in walking; Maria has high blood pressure and is on heart medication. They have been together for 45 years.

One night while returning from a concert, Maria was taking the keys from her bag, they were approached by two young men who distracted them by asking for directions. They seemed lost and were very gentle to the couple, apologizing. After spending a few seconds in exchanging information, one of the two young men, grabbed Maria’s bag, where she had her purse, keys, her mobile and some photos and small objects, while the other young men hit Philippe on his head, took his wallet and left him unconscious on the ground. Maria, in total shock, started shouting and asking for help. She did not have the phone anymore, and as much as she was shaking could not even shout; eventually, after ten minutes, someone called an ambulance and then the police arrived.

They were both brought the hospital where Philippe spent five days ‘under observation’ due to a mild concussion. When he came back home, he could not stand on his own feet, as he was always dizzy and losing balance.

Empathy training requires the following 3 main steps:

1. Seek out new perspectives and experiences
2. Take the chance to emotionally connect with people
3. Acknowledge your biases

Please read the following case study, and then practice empathy by describing what you should do in each step and what are your reflections and understandings from each step.

Step 1 – Seek out new perspectives and experiences