Name of Model
Emotionally Focused Family Therapy.
Synonyms
EFFT
Introduction
Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) provides therapists with a process-focused approach to restoring attachment bonds in parent-child and sibling relationships through increasing felt security in the family system (Johnson 2004). In EFFT, family distress results from rigid family patterns and persistent negative emotional experiences that block a parent’s ability to effectively address a child’s attachment needs. The therapist guides family members toward a more secure pattern of relating by shifting these negative interactional patterns into positive cycles characterized by greater parental accessibility, responsiveness, and emotional engagement and more effective attachment responses from children.
In EFFT, the therapist acts as a process consultant focusing on the emotional blocks and behavioral patterns that interrupt a family’s ability to respond effectively to the needs and concerns of other...
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References
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Furrow, J.L., Palmer, G. (2019). Emotionally Focused Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_900
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_900
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