Can you learn to be empathetic?

Can you learn to be empathetic or is empathy a quality that you either have or don't have? Empathy isn't a word that most people use every day; it was a new word for me, as I remember, when I trained for telephone counseling. My opinion is that empathy can be learned, but not taught. Indeed, trying to teach empathy can be counterproductive. Perhaps an environment can be set up where empathy is likely to be fostered (lots of group activities, discussion ), but nobody is going to become empathetic if it's something that is forced on them at the wrong time. Empathy is something that is realized by asking yourself "how is this person like me?" or "how is this person's situation similar to a situation I've experienced?" and not jumping to conclusions.
But this sounds a little like the Stanislavski acting method. Interesting thought: Are actors trained in the Stanislavski method more empathetic?