About Empathy in Practice

Dr. Abby E. Dougherty serves as editor of Empathy in Action and is a Counselor Educator at Southern New Hampshire University. Her scholarship and teaching focus on empathy-centered communication, Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT), trauma-informed practice, systems thinking, and the integration of creative and technological modalities in counselor education. She approaches editing not simply as the coordination of content but as the cultivation of a coherent relational vision across diverse voices.

Empathy in Action was developed in response to a persistent skills-training gap. Communication in counseling is often taught as a set of techniques to master rather than as an embodied, ethical, and systemic practice. This text reframes empathy as a disciplined relational stance—one grounded in awareness of power, culture, context, and nervous system regulation. Each chapter was intentionally selected and sequenced to build from theory to application, from intrapersonal reflection to systemic advocacy, and from foundational skills to advanced relational repair.

The structure of the book reflects Dr. Dougherty’s grounding in Relational-Cultural Theory and the growth-fostering conditions described within the “5 Good Things” framework: zest, clarity, worth, agency, and connection. These markers of relational health inform the book’s organization and provide continuity across chapters authored by scholars and clinician-educators from multiple institutions. The editorial goal was not uniformity of voice, but shared commitment to equity, inclusion, and ethical presence.

This project also represents a technology-forward experiment. The accompanying website, Empathy in Practice, extends the text into digital learning spaces, cross-platform communication, and ethical AI-supported reflection. These tools are offered not as replacements for human supervision or relational learning, but as scaffolds that support rehearsal, creativity, and deeper reflection. The integration of technology throughout this ecosystem reflects an ongoing inquiry: how can emerging tools be used to strengthen rather than dilute relational depth?

Dr. Dougherty views empathy as both a clinical competency and a civic practice. In therapy, classrooms, supervision, and advocacy spaces, empathic communication shapes the conditions under which people experience dignity, safety, and possibility. This text and its companion resources are offered as an invitation to practice intentionally, to teach creatively, and to remain open to dialogue and feedback as this work continues to evolve.