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
Amber is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. Her background includes working with and treating ADHD, oppositional defiant, anxiety and stress, depression, grief and loss, and trauma. Amber is certified in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and utilizes a combination of cognitive behavioral, play, and...
Finding it hard to be joyful anymore? Do you feel trapped inside of yourself? Is your anxiety getting out of control? Do you have past trauma that keeps getting triggered? Are you dreading coming home because you feel overwhelmed with family? You know it's bad when it starts to interfere with your personal relationships or work. “In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to ...
Shannon Little
San Diego
California
Shannon Little
San Diego
California
If you desire change and healing in areas of your life, I would love to walk alongside you in the counseling room to unpack your story and help you explore what that healing could look like. My aim is to provide a safe, compassionate, and authentic space for you to feel seen and known as you process your present and past. If you're hoping to address traumatic memories and PTSD symptoms, I also...
My goal is to provide a safe, warm, and secure environment where inner exploration can be possible. I specialize in perinatal mood disorders, attachment issues, trauma, depression and anxiety, working with adults in all stages of life. I have a particular interest in supporting women and their partners through the transition and journey into parenthood. At the heart of my work is the supportive...
Having a teen or young adult struggling with dependence on drugs or alcohol can be a scary, confusing, and isolating experience. Being a teen or young adult struggling with these issues is even more difficult. As a Licensed Master Social Worker and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, I strive to make these difficult life experiences more manageable while gently guiding my clients and their...
Times are scary right now, but mental relief can be found. I can help you recoup, regroup, and revive in a calm, serene, nonjudgmental environment. The understanding and validity from another can make all the difference to help you recover, grow and excel in life. Let me be that person for you. After hours appointments are available. Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in psychotherapy...
Patrick Davey Tully
Los Angeles
California
Patrick Davey Tully
Los Angeles
California
Exhaustion and anxiety are draining. You deserve a space where you can be vulnerable. You are exhausted at every turn as you try to manage it all, please other people, with so little left over to please yourself. For gay men, the critical inner-dialogue can be exhausting. I know because I'm gay myself. You're run over by to-do lists that you create for yourself, and end up feeling tired and...
What is getting in your way of true happiness and contentment in life? What are the barriers that prevent you from being your best self? My office is a safe environment for you to explore what is keeping you from achieving your goals. We will work together to develop skills and understand the cause of the problems. My passion is working with individuals who have experienced trauma. I am trained...
I believe in the healing nature of secure relationships. When you engage in therapy its my goal to create a safe environment for you to express and explore your story. This helps us both better understand what's happening. I know what it feels like to be lost, broken, confused, or frustrated in life. Together we can help you strengthen your abilities to cope with the twist and turns of life. I...
Thank you for visiting my page. It takes a lot of courage to initiate this first step in asking for help or guidance. I am committed to helping my clients address their needs and assist them in working toward a healthier and more productive lifestyle. I am a licensed clinical social worker and have been in the field for over 5 years. While I work with a variety of people I am especially passion...
I help my clients create more love, happiness and success through marriage counseling and relationship coaching, life coaching, and individual therapy. I specialize in online life coaching, online marriage counseling and online therapy. After 21 years of clinical service, my passion is to integrate and inspire motivation and healing in every aspect of human life, to help you understand, repair ...
Erica Haynes
Chicago
Illinois
Erica Haynes
Chicago
Illinois
We all deserve to be happy and fulfilled in our relationships. However, healthy and meaningful relationships do not come without work. Whether it is with your intimate partner, friends, family or coworkers, the quality of our relationships has a direct impact on our mental health. I help individuals understand how their past experiences, sometimes traumatic, impact their present struggles relat...
I am a military veteran who has been working in the Helping Profession since 2015. I have worked at a long-term recovery house, most recently have been working with a public agency treating a variety of issues, and I am Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I enjoy meeting with people, getting to know them, and helping them to achieve their personal goals. I have worked with many types of clie...
*Now accepting new clients- Cigna and self-pay* My mission is to provide effective therapy in a warm and supportive environment, no matter what life has thrown your way. I enjoy working with adults and adolescents who are interested in adopting regular therapy as an ongoing part of their self-care routine. Whether you are confronting past or recent emotional trauma, coping with chronic mental...