Who we are: Leslie Ellis

leslie ellis

Dr. Leslie Ellis is a leading expert in the use of somatic approaches in psychotherapy, in particular for working with dreams, nightmares and the effects of trauma. She is the author of A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy (Routledge, 2019) and offers many training opportunities in embodied, experiential dreamwork based on her book.  She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, with a specialization in somatic approaches. Her dissertation on using focusing-oriented therapy to treat PTSD for refugees with recurrent nightmares won the Ernest Hartmann award from the International Association for the Study of Dreams.

Dr. Ellis has a Masters from Pacific Graduate Institute and worked as a therapist in private practice in Vancouver, BC for more than 20 years. Her approach to therapy combines Jungian and focusing-oriented techniques. She was adjunct faculty at Adler University where she taught clinical skills and developed a trauma course for the Masters of Counselling program. She is a Certifying Coordinator and vice president of The International Focusing Institute. For many years she has offered a Vancouver-based certification program for practicing therapists who want to incorporate focusing-oriented therapy techniques into their practice.

Dr. Ellis has published numerous book chapters and journal articles on the use of focusing and dreamwork in psychotherapy. She has also presented her work to a worldwide audience. For example, she offered a keynote address for the 2020 online conference for the International Association for the Study of Dreams and was a featured speaker and panelist at the 2020 FOT (Focusing-Oriented Therapy) Conference. She also offers courses through The Jung Platform.

See also Leslie’s interview by Serge Prengel.


clinician's guide to dream therapy

Leslie’s book, A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy demystifies the process of working with dreams by providing both a grounding in the current science of dreaming as well as a simple, practical approach to clinical dream work.

In addition to a survey of the current science and neuroscience of dreaming, this book includes clinical examples of specific techniques with detailed transcripts and follow-up commentary.

See Leslie’s book on Amazon.com
Outside of the USA, look for ISBN # 0367029154 on your local Amazon website.