Briefly discuss how empathic responding should be employed by a social worker in early sessions with a client.

Answers may vary. In early sessions with a client, empathic responding should be used frequently as a method of developing rapport with the client. Responses should be couched in a tentative manner to allow for inaccuracies in the social worker's perception. Checking out the accuracy of responses with appropriate lead-in phrases such as "Let me see if I understand …" or "Did I hear you right?" is helpful in communicating a desire to understand and a willingness to correct misperceptions.