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
Dr. Jennifer Rodriguez earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University – San Francisco Bay Area. She completed her internship at the Portia Bell Hume Center for Behavior Health and Training, a community mental health clinic in Northern California. She completed rotations in both the school-based early...
Let’s be honest, choosing a therapist that you can connect with, provides culturally competent counseling, is knowledgable, affordable, and just get’s IT, is tough. I’ve been there and now you’re here. I’m Jordie a mother, wife, daughter, sister, cousin, friend and most importantly a dedicated therapist. I'm here to assist you if you are questioning whether or not you are a good mother or how t...
I help clients come to terms with their past, heal, grow, get unstuck, and move forward. You may be feeling stressed, overwhelmed, lonely, hopeless, lost, or just "stuck." Still, I know that you can overcome your struggles and begin to live your best life. I help women of all ages and life stages rise up to meet life's many challenges. I help clients overcome their struggles with anxiety,...
I am passionate about providing a genuine presence in the therapeutic relationship. Developing the capacity to look at and explore personal issues during challenging times offers hope that life can be different and more fulfilling. In my private practice, I encourage and walk with my clients in their growing sense of who they are and how they desire to relate with others. For Scheduling...
My mission is to help you to explore your life experience, to come to better know your true self, and to become empowered to enjoy your best possible quality of life. Realizing and building upon inner strengths - and courageously working through difficulties within the safety of a therapeutic relationship - are important to this process. I work in a primarily psychodynamic, integrative way base...
Have you done everything in your power to give your child the best opportunities within life? Are you confused as to why your child is struggling emotionally? Have you tried every parenting skill, self-help measure, and read every wellness book to help your child heal and nothing changes? Children deal with emotional issues that parents often cannot understand. I am able effectively address...
I believe that everyone can reach an optimum state of mental health. Life can be messy, tricky, wonderful and terrible. At times, we all need help. It is my passion and joy in life to help others to gain insight and skills in order to find hope, healing, strength, courage and increased resiliency in order to better manage the relationship with themself and others who are important to them in th...
I help people find connection and strength in difficult times. Whether you're working on re-building connection in a current relationship or healing from hurt experienced in relationships with a romantic partner or family member, no issue is too big or too small. I provide individual, couples, and family therapy using an EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) experiencing relationship conflict, stre...
My ideal client wants to be free to enjoy life, remove barriers, and work toward meeting some self-identified goals by building on current strengths. Whether struggling with worrisome anxiety, feelings too depressed to enjoy, or behaving in ways that the client wants to change, I tend to take a person-centered, supportive approach to helping. Clients benefit from solution-focused approaches whi...
*Currently accepting new clients* My approach to therapy is warm, compassionate and non-judgmental. I believe that a trusting therapeutic relationship helps to create the conditions for healing. Each client who walks through my door has an individual and unique need. With this in mind, I use an integrated approach tailored to each specific client. I work primarily with adults with general menta...
*Not accepting new clients*. As humans, we strive to feel safe, heard, and understood. Without these three components, we may be left feeling lost, broken, or insufficient as an individual. In therapy, my goal is to help you feel whole again as you take this step toward a journey of healing. I am committed to providing a safe and non-judgmental therapeutic environment to explore the obstacles t...
I believe the most powerful element in therapy is the relationship between the therapist and client; the connection must be supportive, non-judgmental and empathic. Like many therapists, my approach draws on concepts and techniques from many different modalities listed on the bottom of this page, but one needs to have the right fit. I believe much of the emotional pain people experience stems f...
Is problematic or compulsive sexual behavior causing problems in your relationships, job or other important areas of your life? Perhaps you or a loved one are concerned and would like help learning more constructive ways to deal with stress, life transitions, anxiety or depression. My expertise includes working with adult males (both adjudicated and non-adjudicated), adults with Autism Spectrum...
Thank you for your interest. In my work, above all, I aim to hear and understand you as wholly as possible as part of creating a path toward healing together. Usually, that involves experiential, relational, mindfulness-based and psychodynamic interventions that I have developed with over eight years of clinical and research experience with a broad range of clinical and human issues. Outside of...
Brittany Miller is a counselor at Serenity Counseling Center. She specializes in working with Children and Adolescents ages 5-17, Families with Children and/or Adolescents and Individual adults with parenting issues (Single parents). This includes families and children/adolescents with concerns of their child struggling in school and/or other activities due to ADD/ADHD, disciplinary concerns, a...
