Emotionally Focused Therapy Offers Hope to Couples

Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) is a therapeutic approach with its basis in attachment theory and emphasizing the importance of emotions in effective psychotherapy. It was pioneered by Dr. Leslie Greenberg and Dr. Sue Johnson in their 1988 book Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples. Johnson (1996, 2004, 2020) later refined and expanded the approach. Although EFT was initially designed primarily for couples, it has been adapted for and used with individuals and families.

Yamonte Cooper, EdD, NCC, LPCC, CST-S, has employed, researched, and written about the use of emotionally focused therapy with couples. He is a Certified Emotionally Focused Supervisor & Therapist by the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT), an organization founded under the original directorship of Sue Johnson. EFT is the therapy modality he employs most often with couples.

“Emotionally focused therapy stands apart from other interventions because it is an evidence-based couples therapy model grounded in attachment theory, with a demonstrated success rate of 70%–73% in reducing relationship distress,” says Cooper.

EFT is a unique intervention, he explains, because of its experiential nature and integration of humanistic and systemic approaches. This helps couples to create and strengthen a secure attachment bond.

“EFT is effective because it facilitates two core therapeutic change events that help couples reconnect at an emotional level,” says Cooper.

These processes, withdrawer reengagement and blamer softening, promote empathy and emotional attachment and help clients to develop secure attachment patterns.

“Together,” Cooper explains, “they help couples replace rigid, negative interactional cycles with new patterns of connection, care, and responsiveness.”

Despite EFT’s effectiveness, it does have its limitations, advises Cooper.

“While EFT is empirically supported for White, middle-class, heterosexual couples, it has not been studied with Black couples and therefore cannot be assumed to be equally effective without thoughtful cultural adaptation,” he says.

Cooper recommends significant adaptation of EFT for counselors working with Black clients and others whom the existing research does not support. He wrote a chapter on this topic, “Emotionally Focused Therapy with Black Couples,” in his co-edited book Black Couples Therapy: Clinical Theory and Practice, from Cambridge University Press: “I discuss how EFT research has largely excluded Black couples and how the model may risk reinforcing Eurocentric assumptions if used without modification.”

As with all therapeutic practices, a counselor should only employ EFT within the bounds of their own competency. For counselors who want to incorporate EFT into their work with couples, there are a lot of training options available, but Cooper recommends training from ICEEFT. The organization offers a 4-day externship for new practitioners, with more advanced training available for those pursuing certification in the practice.

Key to EFT’s efficacy is the counselor’s role as process consultant, explains Cooper. With EFT’s emphasis on the importance of subjective feelings, it is only logical that the emotional environment should be so essential.

“Rather than focusing on insight or skill-building alone, the EFT therapist works to create a safe emotional space where each partner feels seen and validated,” says Cooper. “By helping partners access and express their emotions and core attachment needs, the therapist facilitates powerful, corrective emotional experiences that shift the couple’s negative interactional patterns. This process is what ultimately fosters lasting change and emotional connection.”

Dr. Yamonte Cooper is a nationally recognized trauma and relationship expert with extensive experience in couples therapy, trauma, and sexual health. He serves as the Clinical Director of the West Coast Sex Therapy Center, is a Professor of Counseling and adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology, and is a Certified Sex Therapist Supervisor (CST-S). Dr. Cooper is the author of Black Men and Racial Trauma: Impacts, Disparities, and Interventions, co-editor of Black Couples Therapy: Clinical Theory and Practice, and editor of the forthcoming book Black Male Sexuality: Race, Genre, and Class (Cambridge University Press). As a Fulbright scholar, he has worked internationally to exchange best practices in career development.

** The views and opinions expressed by interviewees do not necessarily reflect the practices of NBCC and Affiliates.