Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy: A Comprehensive Guide

Updates a classic emotion-focused therapy reference with over 20 years of research and theory.

The first edition of this book became the standard reference and training work for a generation of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) practitioners. This second edition aims to inspire a new generation of emotion-focused therapists by offering fully updated coverage of EFT theory and practice, alongside the most exciting theoretical, practical, and organizational developments of the past 20 years.

Updates to this new edition include:

• New models for emotional deepening and EFT case formulation.
• New questions and activities for self‑reflection.
• Clearer formulations of the nature and functions of specific emotions (e.g., anger, shame).
• Twice as many references as in the first edition.
• A supplemental website with course materials to enhance teaching of EFT.

In EFT, therapists cultivate a deeply empathic, caring presence. They follow their client's lead while delivering gentle, flexible guidance. The goal is to facilitate a process of emotional deepening in clients as they progress from global distress to an acceptance of core pain, enabling them to emerge with a new perspective through useful, adaptive emotions.

Robert Elliott, PhD (preferred pronouns: they/them), is emeritus professor of counselling at the University of Strathclyde (Scotland). Their main interests are training and research on emotion-focused therapy. Recent books include Emotion-Focused Counselling in Action and Essentials of Descriptive-Interpretive Qualitative Research. They have published nearly 200 journal articles or book chapters. They are a past recipient of the Distinguished Research Career Award of the Society for Psychotherapy Research and the Carl Rogers Award from the Division of Humanistic Psychology of the American Psychological Association.

Jeanne C. Watson, PhD, is a professor in the counselling and clinical psychology program at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, the University of Toronto, Canada. A major exponent of humanistic-experiential psychotherapy, she has helped develop emotion-focused psychotherapy, the process experiential approach. She conducts research on the process and outcome of psychotherapy. In 2002, Dr. Watson received the Outstanding Early Career Award from the International Society for Psychotherapy Research and was awarded the Distinguished Career Award in 2020. In 2013, she was appointed a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Division 29, in recognition of her contributions to the discipline.

Rhonda N. Goldman, PhD, is a codeveloper of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) for individuals and couples. She is a professor of clinical psychology, based at the Chicago School, and founder of the Emotion-Focused Therapy Institute in Chicago. She is a founding board member of the International Society of EFT. Dr. Goldman travels internationally, conducting workshops for mental health professionals on EFT for couples and individuals. She has published many books and articles on related topics such as case formulation, emotional processes, empathy, and vulnerability. She has made several professional videos demonstrating the approach. Visit emotionfocusedtherapyinstitute.com or iseft.org.

Leslie S. Greenberg, PhD, is distinguished research professor emeritus of psychology at York University in Toronto. He has authored the major texts on emotion-focused approaches to treatment. His latest books are Changing Emotion With Emotion: A Practitioner's Guide (2021) and Working With Shame and Anger (2023). He received the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Award for Distinguished Professional Contribution to Applied Research, the Society for Psychotherapy Research's Distinguished Research Career Award, and the Carl Rogers Award of the APA Society for Humanistic Psychology.