The research is clear in human medicine: patients have better outcomes when they are managed by a physician who demonstrates empathy. Patients of empathic doctors communicate more openly, follow doctor’s orders more closely, and have improved outcomes. No doubt the same is true for pet owners and animals when it comes to empathic veterinary caregivers; when veterinarians and technicians express empathy by identifying with what the pet owner or animal is experiencing, the pet owner will be more trusting and more likely to follow the advice that is given.

So why are there articles coming out suggesting that empathy among healthcare workers is dangerous? Can empathy actually harm veterinary caregivers?

The answers to these questions are better understood once the different types of empathy are explained. Cognitive empathy is the ability to identify or have an awareness of another person’s feelings or emotions; for example, a client care representative at a veterinary clinic might speak to an owner who appears embarrassed and they might recognize that the owner feels bad for not being able to afford proper care for his or her pet. Emotional empathy is the ability to share or experience those feelings; for example, a technician might speak to the embarrassed owner and experience embarrassment recognizing that she or he would also not be able to afford the recommended care. Finally, empathic concern is the desire to improve the other person’s circumstance or suffering; in other words, a veterinarian might acknowledge the owner’s embarrassment regarding his or her financial situation and may put their mind at ease by assuring them that there is still a good chance that their pet will fully recover despite providing less expensive care.

So, the harm occurs when healthcare providers, veterinary or human, experience emotional empathy repeatedly by constantly taking on the feelings, emotions, and suffering of another individual. This can eventually progress to a state of empathy fatigue, whereby caregivers feel mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted and have difficulty demonstrating empathy in any of its forms.

Interestingly, some experts believe that compassion fatigue is a misnomer or fallacy and that caregivers cannot become fatigued simply by having concern for the suffering of another person. Those same experts believe that empathic fatigue is a more accurate term and that those care providers are really feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and depleted from repeatedly sharing or experiencing the suffering of another individual.

In veterinary practice, there are no shortage of situations whereby an animal or pet owner is suffering and a veterinary caregiver experiences emotional empathy in response. When an owner is struggling with the decision to treat or euthanize their pet, saddened by the news of a terminal illness, or stricken by grief upon hearing that their pet is not responding to treatment, veterinary caregivers can identify, understand, and even experience the same feelings that the owner is experiencing. Unfortunately, this can lead to debilitating consequences if veterinary caregivers experience this repeatedly without taking time away from work to rest, refuel, and engage in self-care.

What else can veterinary team members do to ensure that their gift of being an empathic care provider does not detract from their ability to perform their job and enjoy it long-term?

To start, it is important that veterinary caregivers strive to cultivate empathic concern such that they focus on the good that can be done in the situation (e.g., relieving the animal’s suffering, providing comfort to the pet owner) rather than the pain and suffering that stems from the situation itself. Imagining a future where the animal or owner’s suffering is diminished and thinking about how one might contribute to that are practical ways to cultivate empathic concern.

Likewise, self-compassion during those difficult situations is tremendously valuable. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the high emotions involved, and allowing the opportunity to withdraw, separate, or distance oneself from the situation is an appropriate and helpful way to cope. It is also important to embrace self-care and other self-restoring activities during especially difficult times at work. Know that taking time for oneself and practicing self-forgiveness for taking that time are necessary for caregivers to continue to do their job.

Finally, sometimes veterinary care providers need reminders that the traumas of the clients and their pets are not the traumas of the veterinary team. When boundaries are unhealthy, team members take on the troubles of their clients, making it easy to get into a state of empathy fatigue. Instead, repeatedly saying “this is not my tragedy” as many times as needed until the message rings true, can be a way to experience compassion and concern without taking on the feelings of others.

For more information about the different forms of empathy and how they can be cultivated in a helpful, rather than harmful way, check out the book The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World by Jamil Zaki.