What is Emotion-Focused Therapy?
EFT for Individuals
Emotion-Focused Therapy for Individuals (EFT-I) is an empirically-supported therapy that has been developed through decades of scientific research on the processes of change. It is highly experiential and stems from the Person Centered, Gestalt, and Humanistic traditions.
EFT is based on the idea that emotions themselves are a rich source of important information about ourselves, our current situation, and what is generally supportive of our well-being. In instances in which a particular emotion is not supportive for our well-being, the therapist helps the client transform the emotion.
Considerable emphasis is placed on providing a highly empathic and validating therapeutic relationship in which the therapist guides the client’s moment-by-moment productive processing of emotion.
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EFT for Couples
EFT for Couples (EFT-C) was developed by Leslie Greenberg and Sue Johnson in the 1980s, who co-authored the first text in 1988. Following this, Johnson focused her efforts on developing and refining the couple therapy with an emphasis on attachment.
In 2008, Greenberg and Rhonda Goldman published an update on the EFT-C therapy that included additional steps, an integration of EFT-I interventions to help resolve individual impasses, and a conceptualization of relationship difficulties regarding both attachment and identity/self-esteem.
EFT-C is deemed an evidence-based therapy for the treatment of relationship distress with spouse/intimate partner according to the American Psychological Association.
Note that although Johnson’s model is identified by “Emotionally-Focused” and Greenberg’s and Goldman’s model is identified by “Emotion-Focused,” the underlying couple therapy is virtually the same, except for differences in theory and integration of EFT-I interventions.
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