Emotion-Focused Therapy
An approach that centers emotional awareness and processing to shift stuck patterns.
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is a research-supported approach that treats emotion as the primary driver of change. Rather than managing or suppressing feelings, EFT works to access, process, and transform emotional experiences — including difficult ones that have been avoided or incompletely processed. It is closely associated with the work of Leslie Greenberg.
A therapy approach that uses emotional awareness and processing to shift stuck patterns.
What to expect: Sessions are typically 50–60 minutes. The therapist works closely with what you're feeling in the moment, helping you slow down, access, and process emotions more fully. The work can be intense at times — the goal is not to avoid uncomfortable feelings but to work through them to what lies beneath. Change tends to be gradual and cumulative. EFT is typically a medium-to-long-term process. After 8–12 sessions, check in with your therapist about what is changing in how you experience and process emotions. A good EFT therapist will regularly revisit your goals with you.
Good fit for: You want to develop a deeper, more functional relationship with your emotions, Emotional patterns feel central to your difficulties, You are open to a process that is sometimes emotionally uncomfortable, You want more than skill-building — you want to understand what's driving your reactions
Explore for: Emotional reactivity that feels overwhelming or hard to understand, Feeling emotionally numb or cut off from your feelings, Patterns in relationships that seem to repeat, Grief that hasn't moved, Fear, anxiety, or shame that feels intense or chronic
Not the right fit if: You want a skills-based or CBT-style approach, You are not ready to engage directly with difficult emotions, You need structured crisis management, You are looking for coaching rather than therapy
How to choose a practitioner: Look for therapists with specific training in EFT — not to be confused with Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (also abbreviated EFT) Ask how they work with emotion and what a typical session looks like Choose a licensed therapist — EFT is a clinical approach
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