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Collaboration in Experiential Therapy
Author(s) -
Berdondini Lucia,
Elliott Robert,
Shearer Joan
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.21830
Subject(s) - experiential learning , psychology , gestalt therapy , psychotherapist , gestalt psychology , anxiety , perception , psychiatry , pedagogy , neuroscience
We offer a view of the nature and role of client‐therapist collaboration in experiential psychotherapy, focusing on Gestalt and emotion‐focused therapy (EFT). We distinguish between the necessary condition of mutual trust (the emotional bond between client and therapist) and effective collaboration (regarding the goals and tasks of therapy). Using a case study of experiential therapy for social anxiety, we illustrate how the development of collaboration can be both complex and pivotal for therapeutic success, and how it can involve client and therapist encountering one another through taking risks by openly and nonjudgementally disclosing difficult experiences in order to enrich and advance the work.