Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) addresses issues that come up in intimate relationships. Couples and families can find themselves caught in negative interactions where conversations stop feeling safe and individuals don’t feel heard and understood. EFT focuses on how you communicate and how your communication can be interrupted by harmful to-ing and fro-ing. This is called the ‘conflict cycle’. Within this dynamic, coming to a resolution which works for all, can be difficult.
EFT aims to improve emotional connection, strengthen trust and teache healthy communication. It is suitable for individuals, couples and families who wish to improve their modes of communication as well as their wellbeing.
Designed by Dr. Sue Johnson in the 1980s, EFT is one of the most empirically validated models of couple’s therapy, which means it’s been tried, tested and proven to work. It centres around an ‘attachment approach’ in that it assumes that we are biologically wired with a deep need for safe connection and emotional contact with others.
When working with families, this therapy is used to assist the family to become stronger and reduce conflict and other issues that may be present to cause discord. This technique assists families to become more aware of their own emotions and how these play a role in the household. It can help to improve communication by building empathy. It has been shown to be effective when working with families that have issues with trauma and illnesses.
Families
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an intervention that can be used with couples and families.
It was developed to address issues that are present in intimate relationships,
to improve emotional bonding and to develop trust in relationships .
EFT for families and couples
Couples
When working with couples, this therapy is used to assist the couples to form more appropriate reactions to their emotions, to build empathy and to become more aware of the emotions of significant others. This technique assists couples in strengthening their relationships through emotional bonding. It helps the couple to gain more trust and reduce anger or betrayal that may be present.