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
Sometimes life sucks. It’s not fair. It’s messy. There are times when it seems like more than you can handle. It can feel like, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t catch a break. You might believe everyone around you is succeeding, while you are stuck. It can feel hopeless, scary, and beyond repair. However, nothing lasts forever, including the bad times you may be experiencing. If you…
I’m Michelle Gorden, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I am currently training in Gottman Method for couples. I specialize in treating mood disorders, trauma, and PTSD. My background is ...
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years of experience, an MS in Counseling from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, and a BA in Psychology from Schreiner University in Kerrville, TX. During my career, I have worked with people with severe mental illness in psychiatric hospitals as well as people recovering from various traumas. I have worked with people and their famili...
I am a licensed professional clinical counselor supervisor in the state of Ohio. My specialties include the treatment of anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, personality disorders, and trauma-related disorders. I offer diagnostic assessment and empirically based treatment for children, adolescents, and adults. I am certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), but use a combination of…
I’m a professional counselor dedicated to helping individuals and couples heal trauma, find purpose and happiness, and experience deeper, more grounded lives.
Danielle has a breadth of life experience that allows her to bring a unique openness and empathy to her work as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Danielle is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and is passionate about helping military families and first responders as well as couples from all backgrounds including LGBTQ+ couples who are often underserved.
I’m Michelle Gorden, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I am currently training in Gottman Method for couples. I specialize in treating mood disorders, trauma, and PTSD. My background is ...
Deborah Danner has numerous certifications in trauma treatment and focuses sessions on helping you become more empowered in your life. She uses gentleness, honesty, and awareness to help previously ignored parts of you be heard. Patience and self-compassion are the centers of her therapy sessions. Her ultimate goal is to help you regain control of your life and love yourself.
I am passionate about helping others strive to overcome whatever challenges or struggles that they may face in life. I love working with adults, couples, children, and teens in helping them to navigate these struggles.
I am a therapist and a psychology professor so I tend to use a lot of psychoeducation in my practice. I want to help you not only understand what you are doing but also why you are doing it. I work with teenagers and adults and I specialize in mood and behavior disorders.
Sometimes, it feels like life happens to us not with us. Hard-won accomplishments can still leave us unsatisfied. Our relationships may feel out of balance, more duty than joy. Internal struggles and the major and minor transitions in life can unmoor the steadiest of us; leave us wrestling with intense, unnerving emotions, uncomfortable questions, and a need to make meaning of it all. Changing…
