Psychological Assessment Resources is proud to announce the release of ImpactTherapy by Dr. Ed Jacobs. Dr. Jacobs' newest book is based upon his own innovative approach to counseling and is an excellent extension of his popular Creative Counseling Techniques: An Illustrated Guide. In Impact Therapy, Dr. Jacobs uses a four step approach to explain the counseling process in a very straightforward and powerful manner. Impact Therapy offers a brief approach to counseling where the emphasis is on making something happen within a relatively short period of time. Impact Therapy is a very reader friendly practical book.

In Impact Therapy, Dr. Jacobs integrates counseling theories with his creative counseling techniques to develop an action-oriented approach to therapy. Dr. Jacobs' approach puts the counselor and client into action in a more experiential manner than most approaches. Impact Therapy can be very helpful to those counselors and therapists who feel they know counseling theories but do not use them successfully or creatively in their sessions. Therapists who subscribe to REBT, TA, Gestalt, Adlerian, Reality Therapy and most other theories will find Impact Therapy to be compatible. Impact Therapy serves as a solid bridge between theory and technique and provides a clear map for understanding the process and progress of a therapy session. Throughout the book there are numerous examples of counselor/client dialogue to clearly illustrate the Impact Therapy process.

The first chapter provides the reader with an overview of Impact Therapy including the core beliefs, the Depth Chart, and the RCFF model (rapport, contract, focus and funnel). The second chapter is devoted to the five Ts' of Impact Therapy: theory, timing, teaching, training, and thinking and the third chapter outlines the many different impact paths that therapist can follow.

Chapters four through seven are devoted to each of the steps of Impact Therapy. In Chapter Four, the author takes a fresh and different look at rapport as it relates to the counseling relationship. He discusses productive and non-productive rapport building as well as initial and on-going rapport. Chapter Five deals with the contract phase which is essential to the counseling process. In Chapter Six, Dr. Jacobs discusses in great detail the importance of focusing the session. He gives many different examples of when to focus and how to focus the session. Chapter Seven is devoted to funneling the session, since this is the step that leads to impact. Examples from this chapter emphasize when to funnel, how to funnel, what to funnel, and how deep to funnel.

A special feature of this text is the continuing case dialogue illustrating each of the four steps. Two sessions are presented in great detail with a brief summary of a third session, thus providing the reader with a very clear illustration of Impact Therapy and how it is used in the counseling process.

Chapters Eight and Nine are devoted to group counseling from an Impact Therapy perspective. An active, creative intrapersonal leadership model is presented.  Emphasis is on focusing and funneling the group in order for there to be impact.

If you have ever enjoyed one of Dr. Jacobs' Impact Therapy, creative, or group counseling workshops, or if you are one of the many who have benefited from one of his books, you will want to read Impact Therapy.