Experiential Focusing and its Clinical Applications
May 10 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Experiential Focusing and its Clinical Applications
Friday, May 10, 2024
Registration 8:30am Program 9am to 11am
Presented By: Peter J. Ryan, M.Sc., LPC
Location: Online Workshop
2 CE Credits
Experiential Focusing has two aspects: as philosophy it investigates the nature of subjective experience; as psychology it is concerned with studying and improving mental health.
It was developed in the 1970’s by Eugene Gendlin who was very interested in what people experience when they start experiencing insight and relief from distress.
Gendlin found that successful patients intuitively focus inside themselves on an internal bodily awareness which contains information that holds the key to the resolution of the problems the patient is experiencing.
This is teachable. In effect, Gendlin recreates this successful patient behavior as a process consisting of simple steps.
Objectives:
1. Assess specific indicators of a client’s direct experiencing
2. Utilize 6 steps helping carry forward the felt sensing into insight/perspective
3. Discuss direct experiencing in terms of human development and trauma
4. Describe in a new and helpful way human development and trauma in terms of direct experiencing
Peter Ryan’s clinical interest is each person’s subjective experience much more than diagnosis or particular treatment protocols. His training in Experiential Focusing and in Zen helps him be receptive to the rich source of guidance everyone brings to therapy. He begins with the experience of their own lives.
This perspective is rooted in his early career working with sexually abused children in Boston, founding an alternative high school, decades long training in Zen Buddhism, and private practice. His work is mostly with families, couples, and children.
Mr. Ryan runs The Experience Studio & Counseling Confidence in Doylestown, a consortium of clinicians, therapists, and teachers that seeks to provide a range of affordable mental health and emotional development services, including psychotherapy, art therapy, support groups, informal social gatherings, and workshops for parents, teachers, direct care workers, advocates, clinicians, and young people.
PSCP: The Psychology Network is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. PSCP: The Psychology network maintains responsibility for the program and its contents.