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
I specialize in helping adults and adolescents who feel stuck or overwhelmed by issues in their personal and/or professional lives. Having practiced for over 20 years, I have worked with many clients who were able to overcome obstacles in their lives, and, as a result, became happier and more productive. In using a cognitive-behavioral and client-centered approach to therapy, I am able to...
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Lisa Thaler, LCSW moved to Austin in October, 2019 after maintaining a private practice in New York City for the past 28 years. She received her BA from Amherst College and her MSW from New York University. She completed her psychoanalytic training at The Women’s Therapy Centre Institute, which is specifically known for its attention to feminism, gender and social justice, as well as contempora...
Are you experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety and need better coping skills to deal with life and relationships? Choose a safe person to share your deepest feelings with, without judgment. Gain the right tools to find peace in any storm, let go of the past and become a better person, partner or parent. Transform YOU by developing a positive mindset to overcome negative patterns. With...
Whether you are an adult, a family or a couple, relationships can become overwhelming and confusing. It can be helpful to work with someone on difficult and vulnerable issues you are experiencing. I support relationships that are experiencing hardship. I help relationships heal, grow and develop the skills, motivation, and capacity to overcome relationship challenges. I help relationships in...
Life is hard. Sometimes it feels like we're unable to deal with the challenges thrown our way. As a result, we might feel anxious, depressed, or experience relationship issues. In therapy, my goal is to help you improve your communication style, increase your self-esteem, and expand your mind to healthier ways of thinking. I will listen to you without judgment and provide different treatment...
"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time" T. S Eliot I believe that self-knowledge and understanding leads to self-compassion. Gently exploring aspects of the your experience within a collaborative relationship with a therapist in a warm, safe, nurturing, and empowering environment can move you...
My ideal client has an interest in working collaboratively towards personal goals to help achieve mental health wellness. Each client will have unique experiences and their own personal values that they wish to keep. My goal as a clinician is to work together to achieve one's goals while keeping their values and experiences in mind. I have been trained in a wide variety of therapeutic modalitie...
In need of a psychological assessment? Need an anger management evaluation or courses? Not feeling your normal self? Unresolved trauma still impacting your current day to day routine? Looking to improve your mental health and overall well being? Whatever your reasons for seeking services, taking the initial steps to begin your journey can be challenging. Have courage and build on your inner...
While I understand how difficult it can be to take the first step and reach out for help, I encourage you to come and work together to better understand and resolve challenges affecting your emotional well-being. My goal is to create a safe and warm environment for individuals, couples and families to explore their full potential and create any necessary changes in their lives. Counseling can...
I have experience working with adults, adolescents and children (ages six and up) and provide individual, family, couples and group psychotherapy. As the child of immigrants, I appreciate the challenges of negotiating between different cultures. Some members of immigrant communities are afraid of seeking help for mental illness. They fear being labeled negatively, shunned and stigmatized....
Starting the journey of gaining insight into your life and/or healing through counseling is a very important step in your process. Together, through the work done in therapy, we are able to unmask negativity, the lies hidden in your past determined to frame your future. As you begin to examine your life, counseling will help you uproot feelings of anxiety, attachment issues, depression,...
Life and relationships can be difficult to navigate. I have found it is always easier to know someone is rooting for you to win, to know you have a coach in your corner, a confidant at your side. I see my role as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the same way; a source for receiving encouragement, guidance, and growth. We are all in different stages of the growing process and sometimes it beco...
It is difficult to maintain a confident emotional state when the daily turmoil of modern life feels suffocating; The world we live in is fraught with trauma. Our culture is one where basic needs are overshadowed by the pressures of daily life which negatively influences our emotional and physical well-being. The service I offer involves helping people identify the many micro-traumas affecting...
** NOW OFFERING PHONE & VIDEO SESSIONS DURING COVID-19 SOCIAL DISTANCING ** West Coast Therapy Collective, A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapy Corporation was established in 2019 to provide mental health services to the North Coastal Region of San Diego County. It is our mission at WCTC to create lasting change that promotes the individual dignity and inherent value of each of our clients. We...
