Search results for ""Author Shari Geller, PhD""

Research has consistently demonstrated the role of the therapeutic alliance in effective psychotherapy. Yet, the emotional demands of therapy combined with everyday stressors and distractions can prevent therapists from being fully present with their clients, which makes it difficult to build and maintain a stable alliance. This book is a much-needed practical guide to cultivating therapeutic presence. The specific techniques described will help clinicians engage more deeply with their clients on multiple levels -- physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual, and relational. It will also help clinicians and their clients deepen their relationship into a healing encounter. Author Shari Geller first reviews the empirical foundations of therapeutic presence, including its neurophysiogical underpinnings. She then translates this knowledge into clinical skills and practices that therapists of all theoretical backgrounds can use to set a pre-session foundation for presence, cultivate that presence in session, and overcome barriers. To be optimally effective, therapists must also practice self-care and hone their presence skills outside of therapy. Thus, Geller provides exercises that allow therapists to cultivate presence in all aspects of their lives. The book culminates in a description of therapeutic relational presence, the deepest level of connection therapists and clients can achieve through ongoing presence with each other.

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This new edition offers practical exercises and a training program for cultivating presence in students and trainees. Therapeutic presence—one’s ability to exist fully in the moment with a client—is crucial to effective psychotherapy practice. Since the first edition of Therapeutic Presence was published nearly a decade ago, further research has emphasized the role and deepened our understanding of this essential building block of effective therapeutic relationships. This book is a detailed guide on cultivating therapeutic presence for new and seasoned therapists alike. The authors’ model is based on the results of their extensive study, and revolves around three key aspects of therapeutic presence: Using mindfulness and experiential exercises to create the conditions for presence, both prior to and in sessions; Generating attunement to self and others, as a precursor that facilitates therapeutic presence; and Recognizing the felt experience of in-session presence. With practical, research-based scenarios and exercises, as well as a full training program for cultivating presence in students and trainees, this text will help train the next generation of therapists in the nuts-and-bolts of empathic attunement and a strong therapeutic alliance to create effective therapy.

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