this author has/had an on-line column under the pseudonym of 'sugar' and she's gotten enough press to get a book deal... in the column, she practises 'radical empathy' which seems to me to be regular straightforward advice steeped in the language of validation and support. so - she'll start off telling you that your (fill-in-the-blank) behavior is sooo understandable, relateable, and practically impossible to avoid if you are a human being - and then tell you the said behavior is destructive/selfish/obnoxious...
it reminded me of the non-violent communication style of talking - a whole lot of yammer-yammer before you could tell your child to stop hitting their brother. i also think it's a book better tasted in small sips (one or two letters/replies) because radical empathy loses it's authenticity when it's repeated ad nauseam. yes, that means it got on my nerves.