Now streaming on Alexander Street APA Psychotherapy Training Videos are intended solely for educational purposes for mental health professionals. Viewers are expected to treat confidential material found herein according to strict professional guidelines. Unauthorized viewing is prohibited. DVDs are non-returnable. About the Video: Presence in psychotherapy, considered to be a fundamental underlying quality of an effective therapeutic relationship, is essentially the state of having one's whole self in the encounter with a client by being completely in the moment on a multiplicity of levels: physically, emotionally, cognitively, and spiritually. Not a replacement for technique, presence in psychotherapy is a foundational stance that supports deep listening and understanding of the client in the moment, and is also a framework for psychotherapy that fosters a deep client–therapist connection through various aspects, such as the awareness of bodily sensations, emotions, and perception. Being fully present allows for an attuned responsiveness that is based on a kinesthetic and emotional sensing of the other's experience as well as one's own intuition and skill, and the relationship between both. In this demonstration, Dr. Shari Geller works with a woman who, after the loss of her brother and father, sought out the opportunity to release long-held feelings of deep pain and depression. Approach: Therapeutic presence involves therapists' being fully present in the moment-to-moment encounter with and for their clients. Therapeutic presence is defined in part as bringing one's whole self into the encounter with a client, being completely in the moment on a multiplicity of levels, physically, emotionally, cognitively, spiritually and relationally. Presence also involves being grounded in one's self, while receptively taking in the verbal and bodily expression of clients' in-the-moment experience. While this inner receptivity involves the therapist's openness to the client's multidimensional internal world, it also involves openness and contact with therapist's own bodily experience in order to access the knowledge, professional skill and wisdom embodied within. Being fully present then allows for an attuned responsiveness that is based on a kinesthetic and emotional sensing of the other's affect and experience. Therapeutic presence creates a neurophysiological and emotional experience of safety in the other, which is viewed as trans-theoretical. It is powerful in and of itself, but can also promote the greatest efficacy when accompanied with modality-specific techniques. Offering a therapeutic response or intervention in a way that is infused with therapeutic presence and attuned to the readiness of the client promotes client's safety and optimizes the window through which effective therapeutic work can occur. Therapeutic presence is also a relational state, whereby the therapist and client are both changed by the experience. Therapeutic relational presence reflects a deepening of the state of presence that occurs in a relationship between people as they are present with each other. Presence is a reciprocal process that not only enhances the quality of each person's presence, but also deepens the connection to create a relational presence. Cultivating therapeutic presence and understanding the neurophysiological underpinnings of creating safety needs to be viewed as essential in therapist training programs across modalities. Psychotherapy training typically focuses on intervention and techniques without attention to therapists' state of being and how to relate in a way that deepens relational presence and creates an experience of safety for the other. It is important for therapists to maintain a calm presence in the face of clients' pain or struggle, hence training can include ways of supporting this state through attention to bodily and emotional regulation, sensory attunement, relational connection, and skillfulness in moment-to-moment awareness. About the Therapist: Dr. Shari Geller is an author, clinical psychologist, and creator of the Therapeutic Rhythm and Mindfulness Program (TRM™). With more than 20 years' experience weaving psychology and mindfulness, Dr. Geller co-authored the book, Therapeutic Presence: A Mindful Approach to Effective Therapy. Dr. Geller offers training modules in therapeutic presence to various educational institutions as part of a longer-term vision of having therapeutic presence be foundational training across psychotherapy approaches as well as in any profession that involves human relationship. Dr. Geller has a long-term personal mindfulness meditation and drumming practice. Her training with teachers and neuroscientists, along with her personal practice, inspired her to integrate the benefits of mindfulness, group drumming and emotion-focused awareness into one comprehensive program (TRM™). Dr. Geller serves on the teaching faculty in Health Psychology at York University and for the Applied Mindfulness Meditation program at University of Toronto. She also serves as adjunct faculty in the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, in association with Music and Health Research Collaboratory. |