EFT, founded by Dr. Susan Johnson, is a therapy that focuses on adult relationships and attachment/bonding. It is a cutting-edge, tested, and proven couple intervention. Still, it is also used to address individual depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress (EFIT – Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy) and to repair family bonds (EFFT – Emotionally Focused Family Therapy).

Attachment theory, the concept that people are made healthier by emotional contact and need to feel safe in their connections to others, helped guide the development of this approach. We are wired for attachment; because we're human, we have attachment needs, fears, and longings. When these attachment needs are not met, it throws couples into distress. When intimate partners cannot meet each other’s emotional needs, they may become stuck in negative patterns of interaction driven by ineffective attempts to get each other to understand their emotions and relational needs.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in Practice.

In Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the therapist and the clients look at relationship patterns, create a more secure bond, and develop more trust to move the relationship in a healthier and more positive direction.

For couples, the goal of emotionally-focused therapy is to work toward establishing a 'secure attachment,' the idea that each partner provides the other a sense of security, protection, and comfort. This also means that partners in couples therapy work to support one another in creating their own positive experiences.

In my marriage counseling NJ practice, I help couples work towards creating a relationship[ where they feel securely bonded.

Click below to schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation to see if couples therapy in my Montclair, NJ, office is a good fit for you.