Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a short-term approach to counseling most often used for couples, but it also works with families and individuals. EFT emphasizes developing a stronger bond between two or more people. It examines interactions and how each individual contributes to undesirable behaviors that negatively affect their emotional bond.
EFT’s goal is to reduce distress and negative patterns in the relationship so people can grow closer and rebuild trust, love, and intimacy.
There are three distinct stages in Emotionally Focused Therapy:
De-Escalation – The therapist has people slow down their conversations and interactions to examine patterns in this stage. Is one person not expressing their emotions? Is one person avoidant? Is one person quick to anger? Your EFT therapist will hone in on these specific exchanges to help you understand what interaction and communication patterns lead to hurt feelings and disconnection.
Changing Interaction Patterns – This stage involves encouraging each person to communicate their feelings and needs. Your therapist will help you express empathy, even during tense interactions.
Consolidation – In this stage, you practice the skills you learned during counseling. This stage aims to integrate more desirable communication patterns in EFT sessions and real life.
Anyone interested in improving their interactions with loved ones could benefit from EFT.
Therapists Who Specialize in Using Emotionally Focused Therapy
You may be at a moment in you life when the solutions you have tried did not work as you hoped. You may feel stuck, overwhelmed and maybe experience intense feelings of worry and general dissatisfaction. Or, perhaps you may find yourself resorting to behaviors that don’t represent who you are or who you aspire to be. In moments like these a new and fresh perspective, a different approach to y...
Have you experienced trauma or are you coping with PTSD? Have you found yourself in the midst of family conflict? Are you struggling with an eating disorder? I'm passionate about helping people through their struggles and begin the journey to emotional and mental healing. I grew up overseas and it wasn't until I was 18 that I moved to the U.S. for college and grad school, so I have a comprehens...
“Life is difficult.” This is likely the reason you are considering therapy. That statement is also the first three words in one of my favorite books, The Road Less Traveled. Our life’s journey can be filled with many personal, professional and relational difficulties, so it’s important to know that you don’t have to go it alone. I offer services for individuals, couples, families and youth ages...
Life and/or work doesn't have to be complicated. Even if it feels overwhelming and frustrating right now, the good news is that whatever is going on you have the power to change it. With new and different information to steer by everything is subject to change. Different choices do exist. Whether you are: struggling with mental health, facing new challenges in your job/career, feeling stressed,...
People often enter therapy during times of emotional pain, uncertainty or at a time when they are seeking more meaning in their lives. Each person has within them a powerful impulse toward growth and healing. I trust that impulse and trust the therapeutic relationship to reveal your strengths, wisdom, and the next steps to your growth and healing. There is something of value in even the most...
Connecting with the right psychotherapist is central in working toward restoring and optimizing mental and emotional health. What is crucial in effective psychotherapy is the therapist’s capacity to help patients heal and grow, to become the best versions of themselves and to live meaningful lives. My holistic approach is founded on the belief that the potential necessary for meaningful,...
Most of my clients have a substance use disorder which manifests as serious behavioral issues, that leads to biopsychosocial impairments. Some clients had contact with the criminal justice system, state and local agencies, school, employment and others due to undesirable behavior, and they need help turning their life around. I enjoy speaking with clients who would like to improve their quality...
Serenity Health’s purpose is to instill hope in every patient while providing safe, effective, compassionate, and individualized alternative treatments. We hold the utmost respect, and care for the patients we serve. We serve a variety of patients whom may be struggling with Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD), PTSD, OCD, and Severe Anxiety. We will develop a custom treatment plan that will me...
Are you struggling to understand your child's behavior? Have you tried time-outs, behavior charts, and mindfulness to only find your child's behavior continues to escalate? Is your child having difficulty grieving a loss or you aren't sure how to explain death or loss to them? Maybe you have experienced a significant life stressor such as death, illness, loss, or anxiety due to the pandemic and...
I really enjoy counseling individuals and helping them achieve their goals. At CALM Counseling & Consulting I emphasize empowerment and self-acceptance. CALM Counseling & Consulting works together with adolescents, and adults to help them stride towards controlling behavioral or emotional patterns that cause significant impairment in personal functioning, within the family, work, or school...
Amna believes in a ‘no one size fits all’ approach to treatment. She truly recognizes and utilizes each client’s unique strengths as a catalyst to develop insight and change into their lifestyles and perspectives. Rooted in a Person-Centered Approach, Amna believes establishing rapport and allowing her clients to feel safe and validated fosters a deeper level of empowerment, personal growth and...
Relationships are the foundation of our lives. Family relationships, romantic relationships, parent/child relationships. These are the connections that make our lives joyful and full. At other times they can be stressful, unstable and uncertain. Navigating through valuable relationships can be confusing and scary at times. It is often hard to understand why the most important people in our live...
My passion is helping each client become the expert of their life by changing their beliefs, thoughts, attitudes, patterns, & behaviors. I hold space for you by meeting you right where you are & I gently guide you back to your inner wisdom as you reclaim all the parts of yourself that you may have lost or have not trusted. I am able to easily sort out what faulty belief systems and patterns are...
I have been working with families and children for nearly twenty years. I specialize in relationships, school issues, family conflict, foster and adoptive families, ADHD, anxiety, depression, conflict resolution, and other relational issues. I enjoy helping people realize their goals of living a peaceful and confident life. When people are ready to discuss the things that are holding them back,...
When it comes to your life, *you* are the expert. I aim to take that expertise and provide a space where you can challenge and confront yourself on beliefs that are no longer serving you. My therapeutic focus is on relationship issues, anxiety, identity development, family of origin concerns, and transitional periods in life. My work includes reality based, emotionally-focused and...
