I am a social worker and deal with such sufferings. I am a student in psichology and very interested in Buddhism. this description of emphaty is very interesting to me and i would like to make a question if i can and it is: does the therapist has to mantain a distance from the person who is in need of help (as i have been told but you don't talk about it) and if yes in which way? sorry for my english, hope to hear from you, Alessandra