Using the primary process emotional–behavioural system to better meet patient needs in psychotherapy

In order to increase therapeutic impact by enhancing awareness of clients' nonverbal communications, this article operationalizes the therapeutic alliance as a needs-satisfaction process. The client's competence as a needs seeker and the therapist assisting with the client's expression and satiation of basic social needs are proposed as being key mechanisms of change. Functional model of primary emotions derived from Panksepp's seven primary emotional systems (care seeking, caretaking, lust, fear and anxiety, anger, play, seeking, plus dominance and disgust) is integrated with Functional Analytic Psychotherapy's emphasis on in-session contingent natural reinforcement of clients' target behaviours. By identifying in-the-moment cues of underlying emotional-behavioural functions drawn from a categorization of clients' nonverbal communication can bridge the gap between client private events and therapist observables, in order to maximize therapist attunement and responsiveness to clients, and to increase the effectiveness of clinical interventions.