Emotion-Focused Therapy for Depression

Leslie S. Greenberg and Jeanne C. Watson, well-regarded scholars and leading figures in the field, provide a manual for the emotion-focused treatment (EFT) of depression. Their approach is supported by studies in which EFT for depression was compared with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and then both. The approach has been refined to apply specifically to the treatment of this pervasive and often intractable disorder. The authors discuss the nature of depression and its treatment, examine the role of emotion, present a schematic model of depression and an overview of the course of treatment, and suggest who might benefit.

Written with a practical focus rather than the more academic theoretical style of previous books that established the theoretical grounds and scientific viability of working with emotion in psychotherapy, this book aims to introduce practitioners to the idea of using this approach to work with a depressed population. The book covers theory, case formulation, treatment, and research in a way that makes this complex form of therapy accessible to all readers. Particularly valuable are the case examples, which demonstrate the deliberate and skillful use of techniques to leverage emotional awareness and thus bring about change.