system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Is empathy a prerequisite to being a therapist?

Do good therapists exist that have low empathy?
gpt
Speaking as a currently practicing mental health therapist, empathy is essential. If you cannot empathize with the position your clients find themselves in, your clients will notice. That will affect their ability to trust you, which in turn affects the working relationship.

That said, it is also essential to learn how to compartmentalize. Otherwise you're going to get burned out very quickly, and then you will also not be able to treat your clients effectively.