Using Relentless Empathy in the Therapeutic Relationship

With a refreshing approach to resistance in therapy, Using Relentless Empathy in the Therapeutic Relationship offers practical tools and tips to help therapists and clinicians across all modalities of counseling work with their most challenging clients.By illustrating the power of empathic responsiveness coupled with attachment science and interventions, the author goes straight to the heart of what’s vital for building strong therapeutic alliances with even the most difficult clients. Using Relentless Empathy in the Therapeutic Relationship presents effective tools that clinicians and therapists can use to move away from pathological diagnostic labels toward engaging with people in their distress.This is a valuable resource to anyone in a helping profession, teaching them to effectively use their most valuable instrument—themselves—by harnessing the power of relentless empathy to shape relationships with not only clients but also the outside world.

"This volume offers the reader a simple but rich perspective on just how potent the art of consistent empathic responding can be in the lives of therapy clients – indeed in all our lives."Dr Sue Johnson, author of Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love"Bugatti’s courageous voice speaks to the heart of emotionally focused therapy. She illustrates how the power of empathic responsiveness and attachment theory depathologizes diagnostic labels and paves a clear path towards engaging with persons in distress rather than seeing them as problems to be treated. Her portrayal of relentless empathy is a window that opens beyond static labels of mental illness, addictions, anger reactions, and collegial conflicts into the core of human goodness and needs for connection where lasting change is created. She beautifully shares personal and clinical examples that embody the healing impact of Carl Rogers’ triad of empathic understanding, unconditional positive regard, and therapist genuineness. Bugatti has succeeded in her goal to create a brief resource of helpful nuggets that can help therapists of all persuasions to open their hearts to have nonjudgmental understanding for their most challenging clinical encounters."Lorrie Brubacher, ICEEFT Certified Trainer, author of Stepping into Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Key Ingredients of Change (Routledge, 2018) and EFT training videos at https://www.attachmentinjuryrepair.com and https://steppingintoeft.com/"So refreshing to find a book with practical tools to empower therapists to use their gifts of empathy to connect and transform lives, both personally and with the most difficult of clients." George Faller, ICEEFT Certified Trainer, author of Sacred Stress A Radically Different Approach to Using Life's Challenges for Positive Change "Anabelle Bugatti offers clinicians across the globe a challenge to take a deeper look, to take a more empathic look, at each and every client we meet. And it doesn't stop there. This book helps us broaden our empathic gaze in all human interactions, which is very timely at this point in human history." Jennifer Fitzgerald, PhD, ICEEFT Certified Trainer, Co-Director Australian Centre for EFT, co-author of An Emotionally Focused Workbook for Couples: The Two of Us"With laser-like focus, Dr. Bugatti lays out how relentless empathy propels therapy forward with even the most difficult cases, and conversely how a lack of empathy blocks progress in therapy. Well worth the read!" Scott R. Woolley, PhD, Distinguished Professor, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, "This volume offers the reader a simple but rich perspective on just how potent the art of consistent empathic responding can be in the lives of therapy clients – indeed in all our lives."Dr Sue Johnson, author of Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love"Bugatti’s courageous voice speaks to the heart of emotionally focused therapy. She illustrates how the power of empathic responsiveness and attachment theory depathologizes diagnostic labels and paves a clear path towards engaging with persons in distress rather than seeing them as problems to be treated. Her portrayal of relentless empathy is a window that opens beyond static labels of mental illness, addictions, anger reactions, and collegial conflicts into the core of human goodness and needs for connection where lasting change is created. She beautifully shares personal and clinical examples that embody the healing impact of Carl Rogers’ triad of empathic understanding, unconditional positive regard, and therapist genuineness. Bugatti has succeeded in her goal to create a brief resource of helpful nuggets that can help therapists of all persuasions to open their hearts to have nonjudgmental understanding for their most challenging clinical encounters."Lorrie Brubacher, ICEEFT Certified Trainer, author of Stepping into Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Key Ingredients of Change (Routledge, 2018) and EFT training videos at https://www.attachmentinjuryrepair.com and https://steppingintoeft.com/"So refreshing to find a book with practical tools to empower therapists to use their gifts of empathy to connect and transform lives, both personally and with the most difficult of clients." George Faller, ICEEFT Certified Trainer, author of Sacred Stress A Radically Different Approach to Using Life's Challenges for Positive Change "Anabelle Bugatti offers clinicians across the globe a challenge to take a deeper look, to take a more empathic look, at each and every client we meet. And it doesn't stop there. This book helps us broaden our empathic gaze in all human interactions, which is very timely at this point in human history." Jennifer Fitzgerald, PhD, ICEEFT Certified Trainer, Co-Director Australian Centre for EFT, co-author of An Emotionally Focused Workbook for Couples: The Two of Us"With laser-like focus, Dr. Bugatti lays out how relentless empathy propels therapy forward with even the most difficult cases, and conversely how a lack of empathy blocks progress in therapy. Well worth the read!" Scott R. Woolley, PhD, Distinguished Professor, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University

Anabelle Bugatti, PhD, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Las Vegas, NV. She is a certified Emotionally Focused Therapist and Supervisor, the co-founder and president of the Southern Nevada Community for Emotionally Focused Therapy and the host of the videocast and podcast, We Heart Therapy. She is an author as well as a public speaker. She can be contacted through her website, www.DrAnabelleBugatti.com