Leslie Greenberg

Ph.D, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Psychology at York University in Toronto

Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)

Dr. Leslie Greenberg is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada, and a groundbreaking figure in the field of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT). Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1945, he began his academic journey far from the realm of emotions by initially pursuing a career in engineering. However, his passion for understanding the human emotional experience led him to pivot to psychology. He completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at York University and has since become a major influence in psychotherapy research and practice.

Watch a short film with Leslie here!

Dr. Greenberg is the primary developer of EFT, a therapeutic approach that integrates humanistic, client-centered, experiential, and Gestalt techniques. In EFT, emotions are viewed not as barriers to overcome but as essential pathways to healing and personal growth. His therapeutic model emphasizes understanding the roots of emotional distress and equipping therapists with practical tools to facilitate deep emotional transformation and change. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Greenberg has served as the Director of the York University Psychotherapy Research Clinic, where he led extensive research on the process of emotional change.

He is a founding board advisory member of the International Society for Emotion-Focused Therapy (ISEFT) and a co-founder of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI). His significant contributions to the field have earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Professional Contribution to Applied Research, the SPR Distinguished Research Career Award, and the Carl Rogers Award from the APA Society for Humanistic Psychology.

Dr. Greenberg is also a prolific author whose extensive body of work has shaped clinical practice worldwide. He has published numerous scientific articles and authored several influential books for clinicians. His latest works, Changing Emotion with Emotion: A Practitioner’s Guide (2021) and Working with Shame and Anger (2024), offer innovative ways to handle complex emotional processes in therapeutic settings.

Don't miss out on these sessions

Sessions featuring Leslie Greenberg

As a keynote speaker at the upcoming Emotion Revolution conference, Dr. Greenberg will lead two impactful sessions, demonstrating his work through real case videos:

When the client interrupts their emotional experience and expression

45 minutes

This workshop will present an emotion-focused approach to unblocking blocked emotions. It will give clinicians practical and specific interventions to help clients experience themselves as agents in the blocking process. Two chair enactments will be discussed and demonstrated. In this process one part, the interrupter, is guided to enact the blocking process to help clients become aware of how they block their emotions. Therapists will learn to promote unblocking using two chair enactment at markers of self interruption

Overcoming shame to get to healthy anger

90 minutes

Core unhealthy shame is a major source of psychological distress and human suffering. It results in feelings of worthlessness and self-contempt, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and problematic behaviors (such as unhelpful anger/rage). As a therapist, knowing how to work with healthy anger is fundamental in transforming core shame and accessing the sadness of grief related to childhood unmet needs. This presentation will teach therapists practical skills on how to transfrom shame with healthy, previously interrupted anger and to process the sadness of grief related to childhood shame and the unmet needs associated with the shame. I will discuss the relationship between shame and empowering anger and demonstrate working with shame and anger on videos

Panel Wednesday:

Join an engaging panel discussion featuring some of the most prominent figures in psychotherapy—Leslie Greenberg, Nancy McWilliams, Ann Weisser Cornell, Allan Abbass, and Mark Solms—as they unravel the complex challenges of working with emotions in therapy. This session will address how clinicians can effectively navigate and resolve key therapeutic roadblocks, such as interruptions in emotional processing and self-directed anger. The panelists will share cutting-edge insights and practical approaches for fostering deeper emotional connections, increasing emotional resilience, and breaking through entrenched patterns of avoidance. Expect a dynamic exchange of ideas that will provide attendees with actionable strategies to overcome the therapeutic barriers highlighted by each keynote speaker, making this a must-attend event for those looking to elevate their practice and deepen their understanding of emotional work in therapy.

Panel Friday:

As we conclude three days of enriching presentations and discussions, our final panel debate will bring together our keynote speakers to reflect on the key takeaways from the conference. This session will focus on synthesizing the insights gained and exploring future directions for the field of psychotherapy. Our panelists will discuss the implications of their work for ongoing clinical practice and research and share their visions for the future of their respective approaches. This is an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of where the field is headed and how we can continue to evolve and improve our work with clients.

See the full program