My colleague asked me an interesting question that made me pause and reflect:
Can empathy be taught?
Can you learn to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and walk a mile in them?
I believed that empathy was not something you could learn from books – you can be taught to do the “right thing”, but you may not necessarily understand someone else’s position.
However, a certain NUS undergraduate’s journey showed me that empathy might have a place in school where it can be grown and nurtured to help others become better versions of themselves.
From Nursing to Social Work in university
Before university, Fiqri Nur Haziq Abu Bakar was inspired by his family to enroll in Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Nursing course. His aunt was a nurse manager, and he had a cousin who was also in nursing. Seeing how meaningful they found their work and seeing them in action, Fiqri realised that he too wanted to provide support to patients and deepen connections with them.
He saw nursing as a way to contribute to society after growing up in a single-parent household, where he quickly learnt to be independent and cope with difficult financial circumstances.
“My mom worked very hard to support us. To at least give us enough food, enough clothing and proper education. We would try our best to study hard. We knew that getting a proper education would help us to be successful when we grew up.”
On one of his nursing stints, Fiqri was given the opportunity to see social workers on the job and it inspired him to follow their footsteps. He realised he could provide aid beyond the medical sense, helping those who struggle beyond the hospital setting.
He knew then that studying social work could be the best way to help him learn and understand the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
This would put him in the best position to understand and advise vulnerable groups like low-income families, those with stigmatised illnesses, and the marginalised populations of Singapore.
In addition to pursuing a degree in Social Work at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), he opted for a second major in Public Health at NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH), moving away from nursing.
With such complementing majors, Fiqri knew he would be able to learn about individual and social factors that impact the health of individuals, families and communities.
Pursuing such a rigorous double major would be beneficial as he would gain the necessary soft skills and perspectives to work effectively as a public health professional.
“I thought that social work would give me the platform to work directly with people and better understand things like social determinants of health (which are non-medical factors that influence health outcomes), in addition to the public health perspective on the macro level,” Fiqri shared.
“I get to marry both fields.”
Learning from others around him
There is no shortage of role models and inspiration around Fiqri.
Mentors and teachers from NUS’ Social Work department are dedicated to the learning journeys of their students and offer guidance in the classroom as well as during field placements, which enables students to explore which demographic group they are most interested in serving.
Students can also delve deeper into research topics that fit their passions and become strong critical thinkers via courses that grow their interests.
For Fiqri, his favourite course, Values and Skills for Helping Relationships (SW2105), allowed him to focus on interpersonal communication, relationship building, problem-solving and intervention at various stages of helping relationships in social work practice.
The course also helped Fiqri to better empathise with a wide range of struggles faced by the less privileged as he picked up counselling skills that taught him to exercise self-reflexivity and uncovered any potential biases that he may have had.
“The course, in a way, forces me to view my future clients from a strength-based perspective, rather than the ‘traditional’ approach of focusing on problems and weakness, which I used to [have],” he shared.
He had the opportunity to apply these skills while volunteering at the student-run NUS Neighborhood Health Screening (NHS) in Kampong Gelam.
The NHS experience gave him exposure to “genuine social issues and challenges”, beyond what was taught in the classroom.
Fiqri (last row, second from the left) with NHS Social Work committee
His interviews with the less privileged residents there helped unravel non-medical problems, such as financial troubles and loneliness, among other issues. In addition, he and his team assisted residents who needed follow-up by connecting them with Social Service Organisations.
“Some elderly individuals who couldn’t work due to health issues, thereby impacting their financial stability, disclosed during the social work assessment that they hadn’t been consistently going for medical appointments,” Fiqri said.
“While offering more financial aid could be one solution, it also highlighted the importance of understanding the underlying reasons for their reluctance to go for their medical follow-ups, which could improve their health and their ability to work.”
The hard and soft skills he learned in his favourite course helped him and his fellow social work students to facilitate conversations with residents professionally, approaching them as if they were “a reservoir of untapped potential/strengths”.
Looking out for others and new opportunities
On top of his academic and volunteer work, Fiqri finds time to look out for peers and juniors who need a shoulder to lean on.
Fiqri (front row) with the NUS College Club Welfare subcommittee
As the Lead Social Work Student Mentor at NUS College, Fiqri gives his time to new social work students who could use a helping hand.
“If I see that there are students who feel stressed, I’ll work with the school to see if it’s something that we can work on, to reach out to that person or provide additional support.”
As a Year 2 NUS Social Work student, Fiqri expressed his excitement about getting hands-on experience during his first university field placement during the summer holidays from May to August 2023.
He will be working with the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Adult Protective Service department, where he will engage with members of the Family Violence Working Groups and work on a media feature to contribute to safeguarding the safety and well-being of those who may be experiencing violence, abuse or neglect.
Empathy can be taught through experiences and enhanced in school
Empathy may not be tested in the classroom, but Fiqri’s coursework and field placements at NUS have proven to help him further develop his empathetic side.
In other words, empathy can be enhanced through guided methodologies and exposure to real-world issues through school, especially in courses like Social Work.
Fiqri’s personal experiences, choice of double majors and work with the less privileged mark the beginning of a fulfilling career to help address societal problems on a larger scale.
“For me, the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing and the impact that I want to leave behind is the result of my own lived experiences.
In a way, it is how I intend to rewrite my narrative and break away from marginalisation.”
Learn more about the Social Work programmes offered by the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences here.
Top photos via NUS
This sponsored article by NUS made the writer rethink how she views life and empathy.
