Emotionally Focused Therapy

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based approach developed by Dr. Sue Johnson and grounded in attachment science. EFT recognizes that we are wired for connection. When an important relationship feels threatened or uncertain, we naturally react. Some of us pursue or protest for connection, while others pull away or shut down. Over time, these protective responses can create patterns of conflict and disconnection.

EFT helps slow these patterns down, understand the emotions and attachment needs underneath them, and create new ways of relating that foster greater security, trust, and connection.

My training includes all three branches of the EFT model: Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy.

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT)

Couples are the primary focus of my practice. EFCT helps partners understand and change the negative cycles that keep them stuck. Beneath struggles with communication, intimacy, parenting, infidelity, or recurring conflict are often deeper questions: Do I matter to you? Are you there for me? Can I count on you?

EFCT helps couples:

  • See the negative cycle as the problem rather than each other

  • Understand the deeper emotions and attachment needs beneath reactive moments

  • Repair relationship injuries and rebuild trust

  • Create greater emotional and physical connection

As these patterns shift, partners become better able to turn toward one another and create a more secure, loving, and connected relationship.

Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)

EFIT brings attachment science into individual therapy. I help clients understand the emotional patterns and past experiences that influence how they relate to themselves and the people they love. EFIT addresses relationship and family concerns, parenting, stress, and trauma with the goal of greater emotional security and healthier, more connected relationships.

Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)

I help couples and individuals navigate parent-child and family relationships and work with a small number of families. EFFT helps families understand the patterns beneath conflict and disconnection, better understand one another's emotional experiences, and create greater trust, safety, and connection.

Why EFT Works

EFT goes beyond communication techniques by addressing the emotional and attachment patterns underneath conflict and disconnection. My ongoing training includes advanced education, consultation, and supervision in the model, and EFT provides the foundation for how I understand relationships.

What the Research Shows

EFCT has been studied for more than thirty years. Research cited by the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT) shows that approximately 70–75% of distressed couples move from distress to recovery, and about 90% experience significant improvement, with gains that can be maintained over time. Explore the EFT research here.