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Emotion Focused Family Therapy


Family Therapy Young Family

What is Emotion Focused Family Therapy

Emotion Focused Family Therapy or EFFT is an effective approach to family therapy and helps family members feel less distressed and more connected with one another. Emotion Focused Family Therapy looks at the emotional connection between parents and children in the here-and-now relationship.

Counsellors Specializing in EFFT

EFFT is based on a much-researched and confirmed attachment theory, which states that we all have a powerful need to be connected to others, and a word for this connection is a bond. To be bonded to our family, the unit that we depend on for support, is critical to family member’s mental health and the development of the family’s children. Family bonds are special, infinite bonds of love and respect, and if your family is struggling to see eye-to-eye EFFT is a method of therapy that can get you and your family back on track. Focusing on attachment styles is an excellent way to help families view their problems as patterns related to their attachment styles as opposed to blaming one another for their issues. Parents can repeat negative or unhealthy patterns with their children and vice versa. If you’re looking to get EFFT for you and your loved ones, one of our therapists can help you understand any negative cycles that keep you from connecting with your family.

How Does Emotion Focused Family Therapy Work?

EFFT identifies and addresses the negative patterns in your familial relationships and the underlying problems that cause the pattern. Addressing these patterns is the first step of emotion focused family therapy, which aims to help the family recognize what type of pattern they are caught in, and what underlies or drives the pattern.  It is in this step that the family discovers how to step out of the pattern that is reinforcing the threat of disconnection. Often in discussing these underlying triggers, the second stage of EFFT begins to occur, which is creating new patterns of communication that reinforce the bond as opposed to threatening it. Overall, your therapist can help your family form better listening skills, new emotional experiences, and foster connection, and closeness so you can remove yourself from your pattern of reactiveness (or avoidance) that often gets in the way of good communication.

Ottawa EFFT Counselling and Therapy – We Can Help

Browse our list of therapists who are trained in Emotion Focused Family Therapy here.

CCCG has psychologists and psychotherapists trained in EFFT.  EFFT can help you and your family create secureand healthy relationships built of trust and security.  Book a session with one of our EFFT therapists closest to you today and get started.  You can either use the tool to the right, and put EFFT as an expertise, or call 613-425-4012. We would be happy to help you set up an appointment.

Is Emotion Focused Family Therapy right for me?

  • I am looking for an approach that is connection and communication based
  • I believe that right now it is our negative reactive patterns that are underlying my family’s difficulties
  • I want to improve the bonds of security and trust within my family
  • Communication-focused family therapy hasn’t worked well in the past
  • My children don’t feel as though they can confide in me as a parent
  • I would like an approach that is relatively short-term