Deliberate Practice in Emotion-Focused Therapy

This deliberate practice exercises in this concise clinical training manual give trainees an effective method for building competence in the common factors all therapists must master, while also developing skills fundamental to emotion-focused therapy (EFT).

Each exercise consists of role-playing scenarios that reflect problems and concerns commonly encountered by EFT practitioners. They are flexibly designed so trainees at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels benefit from careful supervision and guidance, gain insight without actually being in front of clients, and hone their personal therapeutic style.

Each of the first 12 exercises focuses on a single skill, such as responding empathically to clients or building therapist self-awareness. Two comprehensive exercises follow in which trainees integrate these essential skills into a single EFT session. Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty. Guidelines to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.

This book is accompanied by a companion website that features downloadable versions of the book's appendixes, including a deliberate practice reaction form, a guide for distinguishing between different types of empathic responses, and a sample syllabus: http://pubs.apa.org/books/supp/deliberate-practice.