EFT Therapist Certification Process

Becoming a Certified EFT Therapist

The International Society of Emotion Focused Therapy offers certification in EFT for individuals (EFT-I) or couples (EFT-C). These are separate tracks for certification in either modality, however they both have the following requirements, summarized here:

Participants should have a minimum prior training: Must have a professional training in some form of therapy and be an accredited practitioner.  If not humanistic-experiential therapy (e.g., person-centered, focusing-oriented, gestalt), it is recommended to obtain additional empathy and person centered training. It is recommended that for therapists who have no prior training in humanistic-experiential therapies, a module focused on empathic tracking, listening, and responding be included in the training.
 

Levels of Recognition / Certification

There are 5 levels of recognition and also the possibility of certification.
  • Level A: Completion of Basic EFT Training
  • Level B: Completion of EFT Supervised Practice
  • Level C: Certified EFT Therapist
  • Level D:  Supervisor
  • Level E: Trainer

At this time, EFTpnw is currently planning to offer courses that fulfill the requirements for Level A. Visit our Trainings page to find out about upcoming courses.

Level A - Completion of Basic EFT Training

Completion of Level A will allow individuals to be listed on the EFTpnw website and on the ISEFT website as having completed Level A training (if also a current ISEFT member and the individual agrees to be listed). Completing Level A training does not guarantee competence. 

Levels A.1 & A.2

Basic Didactic/Experiential Workshop Training (Levels 1 & 2)

Minimum 8 days (but can be longer), run by certified or approved EFT trainers, covering at least:

  • Empathy/relational skills

  • Emotion theory, emotion change principles and emotional deepening

  • Basic markers/tasks: focusing/clearing a space, unfolding, two chair
    (conflict and self-interruption splits, self-soothing), empty chair

  • EFT case formulation

Level A.3

Initial Supervisory Experience (Level 3)

  • At least 3 days group supervision (with presentation of at least one client for 1 hour); or

  • five hours of individual supervision of own work with at least 2 clients

Must be signed off on by their approved EFT supervisor on the basis of actually doing EFT to at least a minimal degree and not some other therapy as demonstrated by these EFT skills:

  • Empathy

  • Marker identification

  • Emotional deepening

  • Appropriate use of EFT tasks, such as focusing, reprocessing, enactment/active expression work,
    alliance/interpersonal/relational work

  • Ability to think about clients in EFT terms (case formulation, process identification, marker
    identification, use of experiential formulation responses)

Level B - Completion of EFT Supervised Practice

  1. Completion of Basic EFT Training [Level A]  
  2. Direct Personal Supervision of own work (review of recordings of sessions): minimum 16 hrs, with at least 2 clients, in group or individual format
    • Must be by approved EFT supervisor. (If group supervision, Count only amount of personal supervision of own work within group supervision.) 
    • Must be signed off by their approved EFT supervisor at a moderate level of skill on the basis of actually doing EFT to at least moderate degree and not some other therapy: Global evaluation of criteria 1 – 5 at a moderate level.
  3. Recommended Practice: See at least two individual clients for a total of at least 60 sessions of EFT including empathy, deepening, tasks, and case formulation. 

Level C - Certification as an EFT Therapist

Certification is granted by the training institute through which the therapist has completed Level A and Level B. If multiple training institutes were attended, the therapist can choose to obtain certification through the institute affiliated with their approved EFT Supervisor.

  1.  Completion of EFT Supervised Practice [Level B]  

  2. Evaluation of Therapist Skills in:

  • Empathy
  • Marker Identification
  • Emotional Deepening
  • Appropriate use of EFT tasks, such as focusing, reprocessing, enactment/active expression work, alliance/interpersonal/relational work
  • Ability to think about clients in EFT terms (case formulation, process identification, marker identification, use of experiential formulation responses).
  • Evaluation of EFT skills is based on demonstration in at least:
  • (a) Two videotaped sessions (involving two different clients) with competent active task work in them (Translate/transcribe where necessary).
  • (b) Brief case description, including a competent case formulation.
  • (c) One certified EFT supervisor listens to and rates for competence on the EFT Therapist Evaluation Form