Matthew McKay and Aprilia West, "Emotion Efficacy Therapy" (Context Press, 2016)

Having emotions is part of being human. And yet, at times we may find emotions overwhelming, or find ourselves acting in ways that are out of alignment with our values, especially when we are emotionally triggered. It is important for all of us to learn to respond effectively to emotions and choose their actions in accordance with our values.

Emotional Efficacy Therapy (EET) is a powerful and effective model for working with emotion regulation disorders, such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder (BPD). EET provides a new, theoretically-driven, contextually-based treatment that integrates components from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) into an exposure-based protocol. In doing so, EET targets the transdiagnostic drivers of experiential avoidance and distress intolerance to increase emotional efficacy.

In this interview, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dr. Aprilia West, co-author of Emotion Efficacy Therapy: A Brief, Exposure-Based Treatment for Emotion Regulation Integrating ACT and DBT (Context Press, 2016). This step-by-step manual shows clinicians how to help their clients confront and accept their pain, and learn to apply new adaptive responses to emotional triggers. Using a brief treatment that lasts as little as eight weeks, clinicians can help their clients understand and develop a new relationship with their emotions, learn how to have mastery over their emotional experience, practice values-based action in the midst of being emotionally triggered, and stop intense emotions from getting in the way of creating the life they want. Using the transdiagnostic, exposure-based approach in this book, clinicians can help clients manage difficult emotions, curb negative reactions, and start living a better life.

Diana Hill, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist practicing in Santa Barbara, California, and a co-host of the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock.

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