Leslie Greenberg
Also known as Les Greenberg, Leslie S. Greenberg, Leslie Samuel Greenberg
Canadian psychologist who originated emotion-focused therapy.
At a glance
Roles
Emotion-focused therapy and Emotionally focused couples therapy
See all 2Main ideas
Emotion is the target of change, Four processes of change, Studying change on tape …
See all 4Books to start with
Emotion-Focused Therapy: Coaching Clients to Work Through Their Feelings (2002; 2nd ed. 2015), Emotion-Focused Therapy (2011), Facilitating Emotional Change (1993, with Laura North Rice and Robert Elliott) …
See all 5Connections
Sue Johnson, Robert Elliott and 10 others
See all 12
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Leslie Greenberg is a Canadian psychologist and one of the originators of emotion-focused therapy for individuals and couples.
- He trained as an engineer before switching to psychology.
- He studied how clients change by analysing recorded therapy sessions with his mentor Laura North Rice.
- He is professor emeritus of psychology at York University in Toronto.
Why it matters
- For anyone learning emotion-focused or couples therapy: his books set out how emotions work in therapy and how to change them.
Key facts
- Born
- 30 September 1945, Johannesburg, South Africa1
- Education
- Engineering first; PhD in psychology, York University, 19751
- Current role
- Professor emeritus of psychology, York University; director of the Emotion-Focused Therapy Clinic, Toronto1
- Known for
- Originating emotion-focused therapy, and with Sue Johnson emotionally focused therapy for couples1
- Trained in
- Client-centred therapy, then Gestalt therapy1
- Societies
- Founding member of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration; past president of the Society for Psychotherapy Research1
- Honours
- Society for Psychotherapy Research Distinguished Research Career Award, 2004; APA Carl Rogers Award1
Roles
Main ideas
-
Emotion is the target of change2
He argues therapy should change painful feelings directly, not only regulate or suppress them, and criticised CBT on that point.
-
Four processes of change2
Awareness and acceptance of feelings, regulation, transformation and reflection, with regulation coming before transformation.
-
Studying change on tape1
With Laura North Rice he used task analysis of recorded sessions to find how clients resolve specific problems.
-
Research themes1
Empathy, the therapeutic alliance, psychotherapy process, depression, forgiveness and emotion in human functioning.
Books to start with
-
Emotion-Focused Therapy: Coaching Clients to Work Through Their Feelings (2002; 2nd ed. 2015)1
His sole-authored guide to helping clients work with their emotions.
-
Emotion-Focused Therapy (2011)1
A sole-authored book on the approach.
-
Facilitating Emotional Change (1993, with Laura North Rice and Robert Elliott)1
The original manual of the tasks.
-
Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy (2008, with Rhonda Goldman)3
His own couples model: attachment plus identity and power, and attraction.
-
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (1988, with Susan Johnson)1
The first couples manual.
Connections
Related
- Sue JohnsonPersonDeveloped emotionally focused couples therapy together from 1985
- Robert ElliottPersonCo-wrote the first individual EFT manual (1993)
- Person-centered therapyTopicHis first training, via Laura Rice, a student of Carl Rogers
- Gestalt therapyTopicHis second training, the source of EFT's chair work
- Memory reconsolidationTopicCo-authored the 2015 proposal that therapy changes emotional memories through reconsolidation
Writes
- Emotion-Focused Therapy: Coaching Clients to Work Through Their FeelingsBook
- Emotion-Focused Counselling in ActionBook
- Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy: The Dynamics of Emotion, Love, and PowerBook
- Emotion-Focused Therapy (2011)Book
- Emotionally Focused Therapy for CouplesBook
- Facilitating Emotional Change: The Moment-by-Moment ProcessBook
- Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy: The Process-Experiential Approach to ChangeBook
Links
Sources
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