It is aimed particularly, but not exclusively, at persons who may be distressed by experiences such as hearing voices aka auditory hallucinations, visions or other phenomena which are commonly associated with diagnoses such as schizophrenia and other mental disorders.
[4] Depending on their level of training and experience various professional groups (such as counsellors, therapists, social workers, pedagogues, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, nurses, occupational therapists) and peer workers (both formally and informally) can and have been using different levels of Experience Focussed Counselling (EFC) depending on the training they have received and their scope of practice (Schnackenberg & Burr, 2017).
[citation needed] Depending on the symptoms, histories and traumas of the individual receiving treatment, the methods of treatment may vary, as the experience-focused counseling and peer support movement[7] focuses on the worldview of the individuals.
[citation needed] Typically, experience-focused counseling is performed by discussing the symptoms of the individual and their emotional and physical responses to trauma and/or mental illness by examining the individuals' current and past experiences to locate the cause(s) of their symptoms.
[citation needed] Various therapeutic techniques are used, with the aim of assisting the client in gaining insight and working through symptoms and emotional responses to their individual experiences.