Impact therapy is an active, multisensory, creative, theory-driven approach to counseling that uses visual and tangible props, such as furnace filters, cups, toy hammers, THINK signs, chairs, and a whiteboard, as well as movement, experiential activities, pictures, metaphors, and other multisensory techniques to stimulate the attention of the client, focus the session, and make abstract concepts concrete.

Historical Context

Originated by Ed Jacobs in the early 1990s, impact therapy was influenced by the works of Albert Ellis, Eric Berne, Fritz Perls, and Milton Erickson, all of whom used active approaches to therapy. Although Jacobs was first taught the more traditional client-centered approach to therapy, he wanted to be more active in his approach. He was intrigued by the active approaches of therapists such as Albert Ellis, who ...

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