Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy: The Process-Experiential Approach to Change

A task-based humanistic therapy3

EFT is an empirically supported, task-based, humanistic treatment that brings person-centered and gestalt therapy up to date.

Two roots3

From Rogers via Laura Rice: empathy, positive regard, genuineness. From Perls: authentic relating and in-session experiments such as empty chair work.

Follow and guide3

The therapist follows the client's inner experience moment by moment while guiding them into tasks at the right markers.

Markers and tasks3

Therapists listen for markers in what clients say and offer the task that fits, such as two-chair work for a self-critical split.

Neohumanistic view3

Experience is central, people can grow and choose, and the therapist must be authentic, restated in terms of emotion theory.

Dialectical constructivism3

People are made of many parts in dialogue; therapy often backs a growth-oriented voice against a dominant negative one.

Built on research3

The approach grew from studies of how change occurs in sessions and how much it occurs.

More evidence3

A large increase in outcome and qualitative research on EFT.

New tasks3

Self-compassion chair work for anguish, and contact work for psychological contact disturbance.

New populations3

Complex trauma, social and generalized anxiety; EFT described as transdiagnostic.

Culture and training3

Chapters on cultural humility, emotional injuries from exclusion, and deliberate practice in training.

Facilitating Emotional Change

The denser 1993 manual this book makes approachable.

Emotion-Focused Counselling in Action

A shorter version of the same path, for counsellors.

Empty chair technique

The best-known task taught here.