91��ɫ Psychology Clinic Archives | Research & Innovation

Professor Leslie Greenberg's emotion-focused therapy clinic brings international therapists to 91��ɫ for training

fmaquito — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

When 91��ɫ psychology Professor Leslie (PhD '96) was first developing his emotion-focused therapy (EFT) approach, he was bucking a trend that put the emphasis on controlling and suppressing emotions, rather than working with them. That was in 1986. Today, EFT is catching on as a therapeutic approach of choice and therapists are coming to 91��ɫ from all over the world to learn from Greenberg.

Last week, 16 therapists from as far as Israel, Hong Kong, Denmark, Portugal and Australia, as well as the United States, were at 91��ɫ for four days of in-depth skill training at the Emotion-Focused Therapy Level Two 2010 Summer Institute led by Greenberg. The week before, Level One was offered. Both sessions, which were full and had a waiting list, were held at the new at the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic (YUPC).

Right: Leslie Greenberg instructs therapists from around the world on emotion-focused therapy

“It’s the only place in the world they can do this in-depth training that I developed with my collaborators, and it’s becoming a world-recognized approach,” says Greenberg, who and the 2010 Carl Rogers Award from the American Psychological Association's Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32).

Although ideas about EFT began percolating when Greenberg was completing his doctorate in psychology at 91��ɫ, the approach really started to come together in 1993 following the book , co-authored by Greenberg. He has since authored and co-authored several books on the subject, including . It was in 1995 that Greenberg began doing evidence-based research to support the approach.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was the dominant treatment at the time and had already generated evidence that it worked, but as Greenberg says, “it’s not an in-depth approach to how humans function. It’s good at helping people cope, but not really good at dealing with the core problems people have. So it seemed important to develop a much more in-depth approach to human emotions.” And in the 1980s, there was a greater understanding of the role emotions played. “More and more scientific evidence began to show how important emotions were in life.” That included some of the unpleasant emotions.

Left: From front left, therapists Timothy Downing Brown from the United States and Ben Shuhar from Israel, and from back left, Nels Klint Karsvang and Belinda Lange from Denmark, in the Emotion Focused Therapy Level Two 2010 Summer Institute at 91��ɫ

There is strong evidence now that EFT, with its focus on developing emotional intelligence and the importance of secure relationships, helps couples having marital difficulties, as well as individuals suffering from depression, anxiety and eating disorders, says Greenberg, who was awarded the 2004 Distinguished Career Award by the Society for Psychotherapy Research, an international, multidisciplinary, scientific organization.

EFT is designed to help people accept, express, regulate, understand and transform emotion, not deny or suppress it. Emotion alerts people to what is important in any given situation and acts as a guide to what is needed or wanted, says Greenberg. Working with these emotions helps people to figure out what they should do.

Right: From left, Eve Alon from Israel, Leslie Greenberg, Chui Fan Yip from Hong Kong, Melissa Harte from Australia, Candice Knight from the US and João Salgado from Portugal were just a few of the therapists who came to 91��ɫ to learn emotion-focused therapy

“EFT focuses on helping people become aware of emotions, express their emotions in the right way at the right time, learn to tolerate and regulate them, and to reflect on them to make sense of them and transform them,” says Greenberg. It is not enough to learn about emotions; people need to experience them in a safe environment, such as in a therapy session, and learn how to manage and use them in a flexible manner. It’s not about eliminating emotions, but working with them.

Therapeutic approaches such as CBT and psychoanalysis have their place and have helped a lot of people, but they don’t address the whole picture, he says.

Now that EFT is an internationally recognized approach, Greenberg will be spending much of his upcoming sabbatical training therapists around the world who couldn’t make it to 91��ɫ this summer, starting in his home country of South Africa.

The Emotion-Focused Training for Couples 2010 Institute is the next session Greenberg will offer for therapists at the Emotion-Focused Therapy Clinic from Nov. 22 to 25.

For more information or to register for future training institutes, visit the YUPC Continuing Education Web site.

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Professor Leslie Greenberg's emotion-focused therapy clinic brings international therapists to 91��ɫ for training appeared first on Research & Innovation.

LaMarsh Centre to research violent crime’s impact on victims and families

fmaquito — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ will launch a unique study into the impact of extreme violence on victims and their families, thanks to a generous new gift.

The (CCVF) has pledged $25,000 for the research initiative which will help address a critical gap in crime research, according to the lead researchers. “Victims of extreme violence, and their family members, have long been ignored in the halls of science, as well as in the legal system,” said 91��ɫ psychology Professor Jennifer Connolly, immediate past director of the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution.

CCVF co-founders Joe and Lozanne Wamback (BSc Spec. Hons. ’77) presented a cheque to the LaMarsh Centre during the foundation’s annual gala on May 28. The couple formed the foundation after a 1999 near-fatal assault on their 15-year-old son Jonathan, who is currently studying English and French at 91��ɫ.

Right: From left, Jennifer Connolly and Harvey Skinner

“91��ɫ was chosen as the best research environment to invest in a more compassionate and understanding future for all Canadians,” said Joe. “This exciting partnership with one of Canada’s most esteemed academic institutions will set new standards into understanding the needs of survivors of violence and families of homicide victims.”

About one in five crimes reported to the police are of a violent nature. In 2008, there was an average of 932 incidents of violent crime for every 100,000 Canadians, according to the annual Vital Signs report from the Community Foundations of Canada. Through the LaMarsh Centre, the research program will provide clinicians with new insights into effective counselling and will guide important policies on victims’ rights.

Harvey Skinner, dean of 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health, affirmed the importance of the gift which will help cement 91��ɫ as a leader in research on victims of extreme violence. “Therapeutic treatment for crime victims and their families is largely uncharted territory,” Skinner said. “This kind gift allows the Faculty of Health, the LaMarsh Centre and the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic to research and then apply that research to serve victims of crimes and their loved ones.”

Left: The donation from the CCVF was presented at their eighth annual gala on May 28. From left, Lozanne Wamback, co-founder and victim support chair of the CCVF; Harvey Skinner, dean of 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health; Stephen Fleming and Jennifer Connolly, both professors in 91��ɫ's Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health; and Joe Wamback, co-founder and board chair of the CCVF.

Connolly will lead the research component that aims to further enhance an understanding of the devastating effects of extreme violence on victims and their families, as well as the coping strategies that lead to recovery. “This generous gift from the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation will break new ground in focusing attention on the profound and far-reaching effects of violent crimes on youth and their families,” she said.

91��ɫ psychology Professor Stephen Fleming will lead the clinical component through the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic, providing enhanced clinical training in trauma intervention for graduate psychology students. A member of the CCVF Professional Advisory Committee, Fleming noted the need for increased training to help victims cope with the immediate and long-term effects of their experience with violence. Many are re-traumatized long after their initial ordeal while navigating the legal system.

“Through the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic and the generous donation from Joe and Lozanne Wamback, 91��ɫ graduates will be uniquely qualified and trained to provide critical assessment and treatment to victims of extreme violence,” said Fleming.

A workshop in intervention for traumatized children and adults is in preparation for the fall.

For more information about giving to 91��ɫ, contact Nicole Arnold, chief development officer for the Faculty of Health in the 91��ɫ Foundation, at 416-650-8076 or visit the 91��ɫ Foundation Web site.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post LaMarsh Centre to research violent crime’s impact on victims and families appeared first on Research & Innovation.