Heimler Method of Human Social Functioning (Human Social Functioning, HSF, sometimes referred to as The Heimler Method) is a form of psychotherapy that uses a patient's own language and thought forms to aid them in finding their own solutions. Eugene Heimler developed this approach out of his work in the United Kingdom within the National Health Service in the late 1950s and early 1960s (drawing on his earlier life experience in WWII concentration camps). He formulated a precise and powerful structure for counseling along with a sensitive questionnaire, The Heimler Scale of Social Functioning (HSSF). HSF is ideal for focused short-term work which is goal- and action-orientated, it can be used among diverse patient groups, by a variety of professional disciplines on a one-to-one basis, with couples, or with groups. These include counseling (at all levels), supervision (management, coaching, training and counseling), staff support, and meetings (formal as well as informal). A method of therapy In HSF, the therapist is taught to listen at depth, rather than hear and interpret, and thus is more likely to genuinely share another's world. Many patients prefer this method of help. The underlying ethos "the client knows best" enables the therapist to support individuals to make their own choices within their own framework. The expertise of this approach lies in being a genuine and effective listener rather than providing a framework in which to understand people's problems. For the listening process to be effective a structure is helpful to both participants. The stages of this can be identified, quickly learned and readily applied. This structure for listening has applications within a number of spheres from problem solving to a deeper psychotherapeutic approach or in team development; with adults or children. As a further structuring to the interviewing process, the HSSF can also be administered during counseling. Research has yielded detailed analysis that accurately identifies support needs and appropriate therapeutic responses with great accuracy. Some of the research studies concentrated on identifying specific coping patterns, while others have examined the diagnostic and predictive use of the HSSF. Other practitioners have described the use of HSF method with different types of groups: for instance with family therapy. HSF theory and method Heimler's theory reflects John Donne's well-known statement that "no man is an island entire of itself": that it is our relationships, positively or negatively perceived, that give life its meaning. For Heimler this means that