The New Social Worker Vol. 20, No. 3, Summer 2013 | Page 10

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Breaking Boundaries With Empathy: How the Therapeutic Alliance Can Defy Client-Worker Differences by Sharon Lacay, LMSW, ASW
worked with children and adolescents. The thought of relating to these much older women seemed almost impossible. We were at different stages in our womanhood and in life, and I questioned how I could truly be effective in helping them. When I shared my hesitations with my supervisor, her advice was to be genuine, confident in my skills, and to use my words and expression to show empathy. It sounded like a sol