Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a short-term (eight to 20 sessions), structured approach to couples’ therapy developed by Drs. Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg in the 1980s. It is grounded in research while focusing on negative communication patterns and love as an attachment bond. There are three principles when working with couples within the EFT framework:
- Increasing awareness of emotion
- Enhancing emotion regulation
- Transforming emotion (Greenberg, 2004)
It is considered one of the most empirically validated forms of couples counseling and can also be used along with other couples therapies.