
Implement new solutions to old problems.During this stage, clients will learn how to:
Emotionally focused couples therapy how to#
Learning how to express their emotions, needs, and desires in healthier, more effective ways.Practicing acceptance and compassion for themselves, their partner, and/or their family.Expressing their emotions, needs, and desires, especially the ones they feel ashamed or afraid to admit.During restructuring, the EFT therapist will encourage clients to explore these roots more deeply by:

Use attachment theory to uncover the root causes of these emotions and fearsĭe-escalation takes the problem that brought clients in the door (e.g., “My spouse never listens to me”) and drills down to find the emotions at the root of the conflict (e.g., “I’ve always felt invisible to the people I love”).Explore the fears and emotions beneath the negative patterns of behavior.Identify negative patterns of behavior that cause or contribute to their main concerns.With de-escalation, an emotionally focused therapist can help clients step outside of this cycle of distress by having them: They may have strong opinions about who or what is to blame and how to fix it. Individuals, couples, or families seeking help from an EFT therapist are usually experiencing negative interactions with one another. Gestalt therapy techniques that involve re-enactment, such as the empty chair technique, are often used in emotionally focused therapy. Gestalt therapy: Gestalt therapy focuses on the “here and now” and prioritizes wholeness and awareness.Family systems therapy: Whether treating an individual, a couple, or a family, emotionally focused therapists often utilize the basic concepts of family systems therapy to heal broken cycles of behavior.EFT uses this theory to help individuals, couples, and families address and improve their relational bonds. Attachment theory: Attachment theory states that people learn how to develop relationships with others based on their experience as an infant attaching to their primary caregiver.Originally developed as a form of couples therapy, EFT can be adapted for individuals (emotionally focused individual therapy/EFIT) or for families (emotionally focused family therapy/EFFT).ĮFT draws from the fundamental tenets of other therapeutic approaches, including:


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