This new edition offers practical exercises and a training program for cultivating presence in students and trainees.

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.

This new edition offers practical exercises and a training program for cultivating presence in students and trainees.

Acknowledgments

Introduction to Therapeutic Presence: A Foundation for Effective Therapeutic Relationships
 
Part I. Theoretical and Empirical Basis of Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 1. Therapeutic Presence: A Theory of Relationship
Chapter 2. History of Presence Across Theoretical Approaches
Chapter 3. Research on Therapeutic Presence
 
Part II. The Model of Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 4. Preparing the Ground for Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 5. The Process of Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 6. The Embodied Experience of Therapeutic Presence
 
Part III. A Deeper Exploration of Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 7. Levels of Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 8. Challenges to Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 9. Presence Related to Therapists’ and Clients’ Emotional Experience
Chapter 10. Neurobiology of Therapeutic Presence
 
Part IV. Approaches to Cultivating Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 11. Mindfulness and Self-Compassion: Ways to Enhance Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 12. Experiential Approaches to Presence
 
Part V. Training in Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 13. Psychotherapy Training: Cultivating Therapeutic Presence
Chapter 14. Therapeutic Presence Exercises and Practices
Chapter 15. Cultivating Online Therapeutic Presence
 
Epilogue
References
Index
About the Authors

This book provides an accessible and compelling answer to the perennial question of how the therapeutic relationship promotes change in our clients. In this revised edition, clinical vignettes, experiential practices, and peer-led reflection illustrate how trainable therapeutic presence is and demonstrate its central role in harnessing psychotherapy’s benefits.  
 

Therapeutic Presence is the “secret sauce” of effective therapy. In this updated version of their classic text, the authors answer all your questions about presence, and they show how to cultivate presence in and outside of therapy. A “must-read” for all clinicians!