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
Healthy relationships promote happiness, security, success, and even physical health! Moreover, healthy relationships lay the foundation for future relationships, so how you interact with your spouse and your child will impact your child's future relationships. I work with both families and couples on improving their relationships by building trust and open communication. Much of my work has be...
My approach is to empower clients through difficult times of their life, by teaching them the skills of self-compassion and vulnerability. I work with all individuals who feel overwhelmed by life and I am prepared to be there for them no matter what. I believe all people are deserving of unconditional support and compassion and I am prepared to give that unconditional support to all of my clien...
This-is-important! It won’t go away when you turn your back. It won’t sort itself out while you distract yourself with other things. You may well need a hand in resolving things but only YOU can take the first step and ask for that help, which we are all PERFECTLY allowed to need sometimes. Resilience isn’t about never being angry, sad, fearful or guilty. It is about knowing how to respond...
I work with adults and children as young as six years old. I work primarily with anxiety, depression, trauma, and military issues however I have worked with various issues. I use variety of treatment methods including DBT, CBT, art therapy, and animal therapy to best serve the client and help them treating the source of the issue not just the symptoms. I try to help the client resolve whatever...
Laurel Meng
Chicago
Illinois
You want to feel securely connected to others in your life. You want to feel empowered to navigate through life’s obstacles, with someone reliably in your corner. You want to trust in your own value and heal from being hurt. You deserve to feel seen and heard for all that you bring to this world and accepted for the myriad of identities that you inhabit. My therapeutic approach is grounded in...
Navigating life isn't as easy as it looks sometimes. Depression, anxiety, and abuse are more common than people think. Family issues, partner issues, sudden behavioral changes, unexpected life adjustments, they all can have an impact on how we perceive life. Our perception often becomes our reality and sometimes our reality feels stuck. Rewriting your story can be a release from the past as muc...
When I speak to people facing transitions, they are often devastated, confused and stuck. A safe space to feel heard, encouraged, and validated is enough to begin a new journey. My name is Katrina Brown, and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with sixteen years of experience. My specialties include working with individuals, couples, and families dealing with divorce/separation, blend...
Ayhanna Williams
New York
New York
Ayhanna Williams is dedicated to her work helping clients manage their emotions and develop healthy coping skills as they go through the different stages of life. Ayhanna’s approach is focused on emphasizing therapeutic approaches with her unique understanding of cultural awareness. Her training concentrated on relational & trauma-informed care from social-emotional & strengths-based perspectiv...
Anxiety and depression are normal responses to stressful situations. But you don't have to live with it. Therapy is about prioritizing your emotional and mental health in life and relationships. When you give yourself and your family this gift, you discover that life does not go “back to normal”. Instead, you propel yourself into a new way of looking at things. The problem you are facing become...
Ariel Mozeson
New York
New York
Aren't you tired of reading these profiles? Searching for that perfect mix of magic and promise that makes you think, "this one might just be worth the risk." And why shouldn't you be picky, right? Therapy IS a risk. You're risking time, money, and most of all; vulnerability. You want some sort of assurance that your risk will pay off. Well, no one can promise you that. Your therapist won't alw...
(Telemedicine appts via video offered during the coronavirus outbreak for your safety). What worries you about your child? Is your child easily angered, irritable, argumentative, has peer related conflicts and lacks interest in activities that were previously enjoyed? Do they lack motivation and/or have a Learning Disability that has impacted their self-esteem? Does your child have difficulty...
Are you a person who wants to deepen your relationships and find more meaning in your life? I love working with people who want to find clarity, authenticity, passion and vitality! I work collaboratively with clients to help them find solutions to issues that are getting in the way of their dreams, manage stress and emotions, adjust to challenges and build supportive relationships. My approach ...
Counseling, to me, is a collaborative process. I specialize in providing identity-affirming counseling from a feminist-multicultural perspective, and my goal is to work with individuals to improve relationships, increase authenticity and self-awareness, gain healthy coping skills, and explore personal values, identity, and spirituality. I am an EMDR-trained therapist and am fluent in both Engli...
Joe Anthony Galvan
Fresno
California
There comes a pivotal point in our lives we begin to start questioning our decisions, or we question our interactions and relationships with others that lead us to have difficulty regulating our daily thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The experience of hardships and emotional pain follows us like our own shadow contributing to the way we think, feel, and act. I firmly believe early childhood...