Couples Counseling

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

Most couples who come to counseling aren’t really fighting about dishes, money, or schedules. Underneath, they are asking each other: Are you there for me? Do I matter to you? When the answer feels like no, partners protect themselves by pushing harder or pulling away, and a negative cycle takes over the relationship.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), developed by Dr. Sue Johnson and Dr. Les Greenberg, is grounded in decades of research on adult attachment and bonding. Missy uses EFT to help couples step out of that cycle and build a secure, loving connection.

How EFT works

• Calming the cycle: You learn to recognize the pattern that keeps you stuck, so the cycle, not your partner, becomes the problem you work on together.
• Reaching for each other in new ways: With Missy’s help, you share the feelings and needs underneath the conflict and learn to respond to each other with more understanding.
• Making the change last: You practice your new patterns and use them to work through the practical issues that once felt impossible.

Why EFT

EFT is one of the most thoroughly researched forms of couples therapy. Research shows that 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery and approximately 90% show significant improvements.

Source: Johnson, S. M., Hunsley, J., Greenberg, L., & Schindler, D. (1999). Emotionally focused couples therapy: Status and challenges. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(1), 67–79.

Whether you are facing constant conflict, emotional distance, or the aftermath of an affair, EFT can help you find your way back to each other.

For more information about EFT, visit the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy: https://iceeft.com/what-is-eft/