Couples Counselling

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is the main model I use in couples counselling & relational therapy.

EFT provides a clear road map for partners with steps and stages to follow on the road to reconnection. In Stage 1, we track the negative behaviour patterns (the “Cycle”) that you both get pulled into because of what you learned during your childhood and past relationships. In Stage 2, partners work on creating enough safety in the room to explore & express attachment needs and fears to the other partner(s) from a place of vulnerability. Partners accept & validate each other’s attachment needs and fears, while demonstrating evoked emotions in real-time. New patterns of interaction become possible within the sessions as well as outside them. In Stage 3, we consolidate the work clients have accomplished, ensure that skills have been generalized to a variety of situations, and plan for the end of therapy.

The magic of EFT happens during “engaged encounters”… Guided by the clinician in a structured way, partners turn to each other and express their emotional experiences. We move slowly towards spending more time in touch with emotions, one of the key reasons it’s recommended to use a 1.5 hour time frame for EFT couples sessions.