What is Emotionally Focused Therapy?

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a type of therapy that focuses on relationships and aims to help couples or families create and maintain strong, secure emotional bonds. Here's how you might explain EFT to potential clients:

Emotionally Focused Therapy, or EFT, is a structured approach to therapy that focuses on improving relationships and creating secure emotional bonds. It's based on the idea that emotions are key to understanding our interactions with others. In EFT, we work together to identify patterns of interaction that may be causing distress or distance in your relationship. We explore the emotions underlying these patterns and aim to create new, more positive ways of relating to each other.

What are the three main stages of EFT?

1. De-escalation of Negative Cycles: We identify and understand the negative cycles of interaction that you may find yourselves in. These cycles often involve patterns of criticism, defensiveness, withdrawal, or other negative behaviors. By recognizing these patterns, we can begin to interrupt them and create new ways of communicating.

2. Restructuring Interactions: We work on creating new patterns of interaction that foster emotional connection and security. This involves exploring and expressing underlying emotions and needs in a way that helps you both feel heard and understood.

3. Consolidation and Integration: As new ways of relating emerge and become more natural, we focus on consolidating these changes and integrating them into your daily lives. This helps to strengthen your bond and build a more secure and fulfilling relationship.

How effective is EFT?

EFT is effective because it focuses on the emotional experiences that shape our interactions and relationships. By understanding and working through these emotions together, we can create a more supportive and loving connection between partners or family members.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) has a solid base of research supporting its effectiveness, particularly in treating couples. Here are some key statistics and findings you can share with your clients:

1. Effectiveness in Couples Therapy:

   • Research indicates that approximately 70-75% of couples undergoing EFT move from distress to recovery, and about 90% show significant improvements (Johnson, 2004; Johnson et al., 1999).
   • EFT has been found to be more effective than other forms of couples therapy in creating positive outcomes and maintaining them over time (Johnson et al., 2005).

2. Long-term Benefits:

   • Studies have shown that the benefits of EFT are often sustained over time, with couples maintaining improvements in their relationships even after therapy has ended (Johnson et al., 2005).

3. General Therapy Outcomes:

   • EFT is also effective in individual therapy settings, particularly for clients dealing with issues related to attachment, emotion regulation, and relationship difficulties (Greenberg & Goldman, 2008).

4. Client Satisfaction:

   • Many clients report high levels of satisfaction with EFT, attributing it to the deep emotional work and the tangible changes they experience in their relationships (Johnson, 2004).