Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy

Examining the actual moment-to-moment process of therapy, this volume provides specific ways for therapists to engender effective movement, particularly in those difficult times when nothing seems to be happening. The book concentrates on the ongoing client therapist relationship and ways in which the therapist's responses can stimulate and enable a client's capacity for direct experiencing and focusing. Throughout, the client therapist relationship is emphasized, both as a constant factor and in terms of how the quality of the relationship is manifested at specific times. The author also shows how certain relational responses can turn some difficulties into moments of relational therapy.

Eugene T. Gendlin, PhD (1926–2017), taught at the University of Chicago from 1964 to 1995. He was the founder and, for many years, the editor of Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. Dr. Gendlin was honored numerous times for his development of experiential psychotherapy. He was the first recipient of the Distinguished Professional Psychologist of the Year award from Division 42 (Psychologists in Independent Practice) of the American Psychological Association. He was awarded the Viktor Frankl prize by the city of Vienna and the Viktor Frankl Family Foundation in 2008. In 2016 he was honored with lifetime achievement awards from the World Association for Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy and Counseling and the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy.