EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED FAMILY THERAPY

EFT for Families (EFFT)

From the ICEEFT Center: “EFFT follows the principles and practices of Emotionally Focused Therapy to restore connection and promote resilience in family relationships. The principal goal of EFFT is to re-establish more secure family patterns where attachment and caregiving responses are effective and emotional bonds are repaired. These resources inform a network of security that provides the flexibility and closeness necessary for families to promote individual growth and meaningful relationships across generations.”

Certain key life stages involve higher levels of change and stress that lead couples to seek couples/family therapy:

When you Become New Parents…

Stepping into new Mom and Dad roles can be happily exhilarating and bonding for a couple. It also thrusts them into a world with new daily (and hourly) tasks related to caring and providing for their marriage and growing family.

Increasing responsibilities with sleep deprivation, loss of intimacy, loss of personal time, along with the added pressures at work, can cause strain and tension in the relationship and lead to conflict.

When fights intensify and do not end well, couples can resort to withdrawing or shutting down, causing a loss of closeness and connection. The distance then leads to feelings of isolation and loneliness. EFT Couples Therapy helps couples stay connected; while navigating the added responsibilities of a growing family.

Parenting Adolescents and Young Adults

It can be challenging for a couple to be “on the same page” during the years of parenting teens and young adults.

Often couples have different or opposing perspectives about the attitudes, decisions, and behavior of their teens.  Or, they have differing views about how best to address a concern or situation. EFT Couples therapy helps couples overcome repeating negative patterns, and build a greater sense of partnership and unity about working together as a team.

“When my partner sides with our child, it feels invalidating.”

“My partner doesn’t value or appreciate my parenting efforts.”

“I feel overwhelmed with all the responsibility on me.”

“I feel alone and concerned my partner doesn’t care about parenting as much as I do.”