Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) gives priority to the emotions experienced by the people (family member or partner) attending the session. Evoking the primary emotions, while managing stirred up compelling responses, helps the couple (or family) better organize themselves and aids each person in responding more congruently with each other.
Our goal is to create a safe, egalitarian relationship with our partners. Emotional responses are shaped and constructed so each couple can feel safe when expressing themselves. We teach our couples how to respond in this way on an ongoing basis. Couples are taught to recognize that much of their behaviours are influenced by social learning and each of them participate in a ‘cycle’ that keeps them stuck from successful conflict resolution.
EFT meta-analysis studies suggest that 70-73% of couples describe themselves as recovered from marital distress and 90% report having significantly improved after treatment. EFT has also demonstrated success across cultures and social classes.