Who developed Emotion-Focused Therapy?

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) was developed by Leslie Greenberg in the 1980s. This therapeutic approach integrates experiential and person-centered modalities, focusing on the role of emotional awareness and expression in psychological well-being. Greenberg emphasized that emotions are central to human experience and essential for people to navigate their relationships and personal issues effectively.

EFT differs from traditional cognitive-behavioral approaches by prioritizing emotional processing as a means to achieve therapeutic change. In therapy, clients are encouraged to explore their emotions, understand their significance, and learn to reframe their emotional experiences, which can lead to more adaptive behaviors and healthier relationships.

The other figures listed had significant contributions to psychology but did not develop Emotion-Focused Therapy. Carl Rogers is known for person-centered therapy, Fritz Perls for Gestalt therapy, and Sigmund Freud for psychoanalysis. Each of these frameworks has its own distinct focus, but they do not specifically address the unique combination of emotional processing strategies that Greenberg introduced in EFT.