THE "GE" IN GUE In an article posted by Psychology Today, I read a sentence that thoroughly drew me in: "An authentic person may be sensitive to what others think yet choose not to subordinate themselves to the opinions or judgments of others. This is a key source of genuine self-esteem. " At first glance I was drawn towards the buzzwords authentic and genuine and hinting towards ideals of empathy. Next I evaluated the sentence and found it to be incredibly true. Empathy and genuineness are concepts that intertwine one and the other in a fine line that ebbs and flows through the interactions of everyday. Empathy is no doubt a skill as is being genuine. However, one can negate the other. If we attempt to be empathic without genuineness we miss the mark wholly. If we attempt to be genuine and lose ourselves in empathy we are not being genuine at all.  This is explained in the article by being genuine in terms or self esteem. One must avoid behaviors that elicit self betrayal. You cannot be genuine while losing yourself in the emotions of another person in an empathic transaction that leaves you barren with nothing else to give. I have struggled with this concept for many many years as someone who would label themselves both inclined to be in empathic as well as emotionally sensitive. The trick I have found is that when we feel inclined to be empathetic emotionally, I sometimes need to take the measures of separating the emotions of the emoter and the empath. This can go also go both ways. I don't feel that one necessarily needs to discard their own emotions when being empathetic because they are differing in degree of joy or sadness. The goal is to honor the feelings of others while also honoring our own. A field that this dance undoubtedly takes place in is Therapeutic Recreation. In order to be a good therapist you are required to have the skills of being empathetic and genuine. I also found another article on the difference between empathy and sympathy in  therapeutic settings: "I believe that it is important not to confuse empathy with sympathy-there is a big difference. Sympathy is to give another person support and emotional comfort because of the pain or distress they may be experiencing. Empathy is to enter the private world of another person so as to understand that world, whether sympathy is offered or not." The disabled community gets more than enough sympathy from the people around them that don't understand their conditions. Our job as professionals is to advocate and believe in our client's ability to attain quality of life even if the situation is difficult and emotional. It is what makes this field so challenging and beautiful in my opinion. It is a dance I hope to master one day not only as a therapist, but as all of the aspects of my life. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shift-mind/201208/seeking-authenticity http://www.freecontentweb.com/content/basic-counselling-skills-and-their-usefulness-empathy-acceptance-warmth-and-genuineness Bolton, R. (1986). People skills: how to assert yourself, listen to others, and resolve conflicts. New York: Simon & Schuster.