Publications

Therapeutic Presence: A Mindful Approach to Effective Therapeutic Relationships – 2nd Edition

Therapeutic presence—one’s ability to exist fully in the moment with a client—is crucial to effective psychotherapy practice. Since the first edition of Therapeutic Presence was published nearly a decade ago, further research has emphasized the role and deepened our understanding of this essential building block of effective therapeutic relationships.

This book is a detailed guide on cultivating therapeutic presence for new and seasoned therapists alike. The authors’ model is based on the results of their extensive study, and revolves around three key aspects of therapeutic presence:

• Using mindfulness and experiential exercises to create the conditions for presence, both prior to and in sessions;
• Generating attunement to self and others, as a precursor that facilitates therapeutic presence; and
• Recognizing the felt experience of in-session presence.

With practical, research-based scenarios and exercises, as well as a full training program for cultivating presence in students and trainees, this text will help train the next generation of therapists in the nuts-and-bolts of empathic attunement and a strong therapeutic alliance to create effective therapy.

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A Practical Guide to Cultivating Therapeutic Presence (2017)

Being fully present with clients can be challenging for health practitioners, given the emotional demands of their intensive work combined with any number of physical and mental distractions, which can make it difficult to establish a healing therapeutic alliance. In this practical guide, author Shari Geller translates empirical research—including neurophysiological evidence—into simple exercises that clinicians of all theoretical persuasions can use to set a pre-session foundation for presence and develop presence throughout therapy. Geller also emphasizes therapist self-care with practices that clinicians can implement in their daily lives, which ultimately translates into more effective therapy.

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Therapeutic Presence: A Mindful Approach to Effective Therapy (2012)

The therapeutic relationship is essential to positive outcomes of psychotherapy. In this book, Shari M. Geller and Leslie S. Greenberg argue that therapeutic presence is the fundamental underlying quality of the therapeutic relationship and, hence, effective therapy.

Therapeutic presence is 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. Present therapists become aware of both their own experience and that of their client through bodily sensations and emotions, and this awareness helps them to connect deeply with the client. Therapeutic presence is not a replacement for technique, but rather a foundational therapeutic stance that supports deep listening and understanding of the client in the moment.

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