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Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy

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Name of the Strategy

Emotionally focused couple therapy.

Synonyms

EFT; Emotionally focused therapy

Introduction

Emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT) is an approach to couple therapy that helps create attachment security in relationships by guiding partners to explore and share with one another their core attachment-related emotions and needs. EFT conceptualizes the negative interaction patterns between partners in distressed couple relationships and the associated strong negative emotions as arising from emotional disconnection and an insecure attachment bond. Core, primary attachment-related emotions are often blocked from awareness and expression in distressed couple relationships by protective reactions such as numbing due to the triggering of attachment-related fears. In EFT, couples are encouraged to explore core primary attachment-related emotions and needs as they arise in the therapy session and express these to their partner. Partners are then encouraged to tune into their...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Stephanie A. Wiebe

  2. The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Sue M. Johnson

Authors
  1. Stephanie A. Wiebe
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  2. Sue M. Johnson
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Kelley Quirk Ph.D.

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Adam R. Fisher Ph.D.

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Wiebe, S.A., Johnson, S.M. (2018). Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_193-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_193-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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