More than a feeling: Constructing emotion in theory and practice

While counselors are both familiar with and proficient in the use of reflecting skills to identify and articulate client feelings, recent empirical research supports the perspective that emotions are co‐constructed, sociocultural categories rather than triggered, universal internal states. Drawing upon Barrett's (2017) theory of constructed emotion, the authors discuss epistemological considerations, the relationship between emotions and core affect, and the relevance of interoceptive processes in the context of predictive mind. Therapeutic methods to co‐construct feeling experiences and implications for counseling practice and research are discussed.