Facilitated by Joy Oakley

11th June 2011 at Friends' Meeting House, Brighton

EGAN - Exploration - Understanding - Action

Gerard Egan's 3 stage approach can be seen as an incredibly useful map in which we can evaluate the usefulness of elements in other approaches - a structure for counsellors, whatever their orientation.

Many counsellors have used the Egan model as a framework through which they can use the techniques and methods from a wide range of approaches. For example -

The Person-Centred  'core conditions' as a bedrock.

Gestalt exerises as a way of challenging blind spots.

Assertiveness training as a way of developing action strategies.

The main strengths of his model are the intensely practical and pragmatic approach, applicable to a wide variety of situations. 

He shows us how to help the client explore - 

Where am I now in my life? What brings me to seek help?

How did this all happen and how do I want my life to be different?

And Vitally -

How can I make the changes I want? What strategies and resources can I use?

Egan gives us new ways of looking at our work, always with 'I'.