Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Worksheets
As a mental health practitioner, having the right tools is a must to be effective in delivering Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to your clients. Having the right tools allows therapists to customize their treatment plans and provide individualized care that is evidence-based and aligned with best practices in the field.
Our Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Worksheets (Editable, Fillable, Printable) are perfect for counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, therapists, and other mental health professionals. Our Emotionally Focused Therapy Worksheets can be downloaded and used with all your clients, giving them the ability to fill it out on a digital device or print it out.
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Clinicians can use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) worksheets to effectively treat their clients. These worksheets provide clinicians the tool to effectively establish a treatment plan throughout the therapy process.
What is Emotionally Focused Therapy?
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a popular form of psychotherapy that began in the 1980’s by doctor Sue Johnson and doctor Les Greenberg. Both doctors This form of therapy takes on a humanistic approach by evaluating the individual as a whole, acknowledging their uniqueness, and identifying their ability to have free will. The science of adult attachment which looks at the development of personality and intimate relationships was developed at the same time. The two share a mutually beneficial relationship, thus, expanding the clinicians understanding of an individuals health, dysfunction, and insight on the nature of their family/romantic bonds. A clinician can use EFT to treat both individuals and couples. With couples it is used as an intervention method. The therapy is focused on emotional regulation and emotion as the key ingredients that support individuals life experiences and their important relationship interactions. EFT can be used to identify depression, post traumatic stress, and anxiety in individuals. The therapy has a short term approach and individuals and couples typically go through three stages and a total of nine steps. There is a focus on the intersection of attachment theory and neuroscience.
Which Conditions can Emotionally Focused Therapy Treat?
Conditions vary when looking at an individual versus treating a couple. Below we will outline individual and couple conditions:
EFT for Individuals (EFIT)
Individuals partaking in EFT therapy can tackle numerous emotion-related issues that are causing them distress. Such as, anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress. There is a specific model used, called EFT for Individuals (EFIT).
EFT for individuals has been most commonly used treating patients with emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression. Clinicians focus on the patterns leading to feelings of anxiety and depression, helping to develop healthy coping mechanisms and vehicles of expression. Individuals that could benefit from EFIT are those experiencing:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
EFT for Couples (EFCT)
More often, Emotionally Focused Therapy is used by clinicians that focus on couples and family therapy. Like EFIT, there are specific models used for families and couples. EFT for Families (EFFT) and EFT for Couples (EFCT). We will outline both models below:
The goal of utilizing EFCT is to provide both individuals with the proper tools to work together through poor communication, conflict, and distress. While working toward repairing bonds between the two individuals, individuality is still kept in mind. Couples, either both individuals or one, that can benefit from EFCT are:
- Couples facing addiction
- Experiencing depression
- Working through chronic illness
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Infidelity
Situations identified by clinicians to work through can be either in the past or present. This approach can assist in eliminating counter-productive reactions in a relationship.
EFT for Families (EFFT)
This approach focuses on providing family members with the proper tools to stabilize their environment as a result of their negative interaction pattern(s). Families that can benefit from EFFT are:
- Parents struggling to connect with children
- Families dealing with addiction
- Families dealing with interpersonal traumas
How Effective is Emotionally Focused Therapy?
Most research has focused on couples undergoing outcome and process of change studies. However, EFT has been proven to be effective for individuals as well. Attachment theory plays a big role in EFT and MRI studies have shown that there is a significant role within the brain that codes attachments as safety. The benefits of the individual or couple seeing through Emotionally Focused Model are endless in terms of how they can apply it to their everyday lives. They will experience stronger bonds, better emotional regulation, and develop an improved interpersonal understanding. In terms of couples therapy, more secure attachments are achieved between partners, strengthening bonds and communication skills and producing a more fulfilling relationship. Beyond platonic or romantic relationships, EFT has been found to be useful for families seeking to establish meaningful trust and respect for one another through strong communication and thoughtful emotional understanding.
How Does EFT Work?
EFT is a short term form of therapy in which couples , families, and individuals go through three stages and nine phases. Below we will break down each stage and phase:
Stage 1: De-escalation.
The de-escalation stage of EFT seeks to identify the trigger of the undesired occurrence and the direct responses to it, reframing interactions and responses to achieve more sensible reasonings for such outcomes. This stage is broken down into 4 specific phase listed below:
Phase 1: Identify conflict issues. Explore negative emotions felt and assess how they are expressed within such issues.
Phase 2: Identify negative interaction patterns.
Phase 3: With the assistance of a clinician, the patient or patients identify, share, and feel unacknowledged emotions related to the negative interaction patterns.
Phase 4: The clinician then reframes key issues in terms of negative interaction patterns, developing an understanding of the pattern and the emotions continuing it.
Stage 2: Restructuring.
In the restructuring phase of EFT patients are taught to express their emotions more effectively to achieve more desired responses from their various relationships, establishing a more trust and a secure bond within these relationships. This stage is broken down into 3 specific phases below:
Phase 5: Express unfulfilled needs and responses.
Phase 6: The clinician then guides the patients through multiple effective avenues of expression for specific emotional needs.
Phase 7: The clinician provides the patients with healthy ways to discuss difficult topics and express emotions effectively.
Stage 3: Consolidation.
Finally, the consolidation stage requires patients to revisit reoccurring difficult issues to implement new skills from a place of confidence and security. This stage is broken down into 2 phases listed below.
Phase 8: The clinician encourages patients to use newly found tools to approach old problematic situations with new innovative solutions.
Phase 9: Patients begin implementing newly learned communication and coping skills outside of therapy settings.
Final Thoughts on Emotionally Focused Therapy
While Emotionally Focused Therapy is used more for couples than individuals and families, this does not mean that a clinician cannot use EFT to treat the latter. It is an empirically validated form of therapy that has extensive research behind it. If you find an individual, couple, or family that exemplifies the characteristics of the conditions listed above, think of using EFT to treat them.
Why EFT Worksheets?
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) worksheets are tools used in therapy to help couples or individuals improve their emotional connection and bond with others. EFT worksheets provide a structured approach to therapy, allowing individuals to identify and express their emotions, work through conflicts, and develop new skills and behaviors to improve their relationships.
Some of the key benefits of using EFT worksheets include:
- Resolution of attachment-related issues: EFT worksheets can help individuals or couples address attachment-related issues that may be affecting the relationship. This includes issues related to abandonment, rejection, or fear of intimacy.
- Improved emotional connection: EFT worksheets help individuals or couples develop a deeper emotional connection with each other by providing a structured approach to identifying and expressing emotions. This can help to increase feelings of love, trust, and security in the relationship.
- Identification of negative patterns: EFT worksheets can help individuals or couples identify negative patterns of interaction that may be contributing to relationship problems. By identifying these patterns, individuals can work to break them and develop new, more positive patterns of interaction.
- Development of new communication skills: EFT worksheets provide individuals or couples with strategies for effective communication, such as active listening, expressing needs and desires, and responding in a non-judgmental and empathetic manner.
Overall, EFT worksheets provide a valuable tool for individuals or couples looking to improve their emotional connection and bond with others. By providing a structured and organized way to identify and express emotions, work through conflicts, and develop new skills and behaviors, individuals can improve their relationships and lead a more fulfilling life.
Why Our Emotionally Focused Therapy Worksheets?
Our Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) worksheets are designed to help practitioners deliver Emotionally Focused Therapy to their clients more effectively.
Key Features of Our EFT Worksheets:
- US letter size (8.5″ x 11″)
- Fillable / Printable
- Editable (If you need to make changes, we can provide you with a free editing website that will allow you to make changes to questions/statements)
- Checkboxes
- Longform responses
- Short form responses
Benefits of our EFT Worksheets:
- Take in responses from clients on a digital device like a computer
- Organize client documents in an easy to find folder on your computer or in the cloud
- Search for specific questions and/or answers by using “CTRL + f” function on your keyboard when viewing your PDF
- Legibly read your client’s answers
- Print copies that are high in quality – (we made this form grey on purpose! Much easier on your printer)
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