Research has consistently demonstrated the role of the therapeutic alliance in effective psychotherapy. Yet, the emotional demands of therapy combined with everyday stressors and distractions can prevent therapists from being fully present with their clients, which makes it difficult to build and maintain a stable alliance. This book is a much-needed practical guide to cultivating therapeutic presence. The specific techniques described will help clinicians engage more deeply with their clients on multiple levels -- physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual, and relational. It will also help clinicians and their clients deepen their relationship into a healing encounter.

Author Shari Geller first reviews the empirical foundations of therapeutic presence, including its neurophysiogical underpinnings. She then translates this knowledge into clinical skills and practices that therapists of all theoretical backgrounds can use to set a pre-session foundation for presence, cultivate that presence in session, and overcome barriers. To be optimally effective, therapists must also practice self-care and hone their presence skills outside of therapy. Thus, Geller provides exercises that allow therapists to cultivate presence in all aspects of their lives. The book culminates in a description of therapeutic relational presence, the deepest level of connection therapists and clients can achieve through ongoing presence with each other.
About the Author:

Shari M. Geller, PhD, is an author, clinical psychologist, and supervisor with a commitment to mindfulness practices and a passion for rhythm and drumming. Dr. Geller has been practicing mindfulness since 1990 and weaves Buddhist philosophy and rhythm-based work into her life and clinical practice. She has been involved in researching, writing, and training in therapeutic presence as a foundational approach to optimizing health care and therapeutic relationships. Dr. Geller coauthored (with Leslie Greenberg) the book Therapeutic Presence: A Mindful Approach to Effective Therapy. She has released a companion CD on cultivating presence, with guided practices using the healing power of music and the health benefits of mindfulness. In collaboration with the American Psychological Association she has also released a training video for therapeutic presence. Dr. Geller has a clinical and supervisory practice in Toronto and Grey-Bruce County. 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, Therapeutic Rhythm and Mindfulness (TRM), to cultivate presence. Dr. Geller serves on the teaching faculty in health psychology at York University and for the Applied Mindfulness Meditation program at the University of Toronto, and she is adjunct professor in the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, in association with Music and Health Research Collaboratory. She is the codirector of the Centre for MindBody Health, offering mindfulness and compassion-based treatment and professional training.