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Strengths of
EFT
As described in The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy:
Creating Connections (Susan Johnson,
2004)
- EFT’s assumptions,
strategies, and interventions are clearly specified and delineated. It is a
brief therapeutic approach, usually implemented in 8-20 session; is replicable;
and has been used to train numerous practicing couple therapists in the
USA, Australia, South East
Asia and other countries.
- EFT couple therapy has
substantial empirical support for its effectiveness with general and specific
populations of couples in distress. It has provided the basis for considerable
research on the process of change and the key change events and client variables
associated with treatment success. This allows therapists to match clients to
treatments and tailor treatments to particular clients.
- The process of
treatment is clearly outlined in 3 stages and 9 steps.
- EFT approach is
grounded in a clear theoretical base. This base consists of a theory of change
which arises from a synthesis of humanistic experiential therapy and systems
theory, and second, a theory of love, which
is viewed as an attachment process. Both adult attachment theory and
experiential interventions have a substantial and growing research base (Cassidy
& Shaver, 1999; Elliot, 2002; cited in Johnson,
2004).
- EFT is applicable to
many different clients and is used for a wide variety of couples and partners
including couples experiencing chronic stress or
trauma.
- EFT interventions “are
extremely congruent with recent empirical studies on the nature of marital
distress, which focus on the nature of rigid interactional patterns and
compelling negative affect, and studies on the nature of adult attachment’
(Johnson, 2004; p9)
- The 3 stages and 9
steps of EFT are clearly manualized; with therapeutic strategies and skills
described in detail. Predictive interactions in specific stages of therapy are
outlined, and therapist interventions to overcome ‘roadblocks’ to recovery and
carefully outlined.
All
information regarding EFT is quoted for paraphrased from ‘The Practice of
Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connections’ (Johnson, S.M., 2004)
or ‘Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy with Trauma Survivors: Strengthening
Attachment Bonds’ (Johnson, S.M., 2002). This information represents to basic
tenets of EFT and any errors are
unintentional.
Delegates are
strongly recommended to pre-read ‘The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple
Therapy: Creating Connections’ available on order at Archive Book Store,
Claremont, prior
to the workshop.
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