WHAT IS EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED THERAPY (EFT)?
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a form of therapy that prioritises emotion in informing us about our deepest needs and values and privileges our special bonds with those who matter most to us.
EFT can be used with individuals, couples/relationships, and families and aims to help people to express, explore and understand their reactions, behaviours and thoughts; all with a view to helping them to connect with their deepest needs and with the people who matter to them. This then allows them to live more full, satisfying and connected lives.
EFT for couples/relationships has been extensively researched over the last 25 years with outstanding outcomes. EFT is a structured approach to relationship therapy formulated in the early 80s by Dr Sue Johnson and Dr Les Greenberg. Since then, Sue Johnson has further developed the model, utilising attachment theory to further understand relationships and to guide therapists in helping them most effectively.
EFT is also used with families and individuals. A substantial body of research supporting the effectiveness of EFT for relationships now exists.
Research studies find that 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery and approximately 90% show significant improvements in relationship satisfaction.
The major contraindications for EFT are on-going violence in the relationship or an ongoing affair. EFT is being used with many different kinds of couples/relationships in private practice, university training centres, hospital clinics, and community agencies. EFT therapists are from and work with a wide variety of communities, identities, and cultures.
These distressed relationships include partners suffering from disorders such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorders, and chronic illness.