EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED COUPLE THERAPY A COUPLE’S STRUGGLE WITH INFIDELITY (original) (raw)
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A Review of the Research in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT) is a brief evidence-based couple therapy based in attachment theory. Since the development of EFT, efficacy and effectiveness research has accumulated to address a range of couple concerns. EFT meets or exceeds the guidelines for classification as an evidence-based couple therapy outlined for couple and family research. Furthermore, EFT researchers have examined the process of change and predictors of outcome in EFT. Future research in EFT will continue to examine the process of change in EFT and test the efficacy and effectiveness of EFT in new applications and for couples of diverse backgrounds and concerns.
Resolving Attachment Injuries in Couples Using Emotionally Focused Therapy: A Three-Year Follow-Up
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 15332690903473069, 2010
Couples who seek therapy for marital distress often do so because they have suffered an attachment injury, characterized by an abandonment or betrayal during a time of critical need. This follow-up assessed the efficacy of the newly developed Attachment Injury Resolution Model based in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Twelve couples with attachment injuries who received EFT were assessed to determine if the significant improvement in relationship distress observed in resolved couples at post-treatment would be maintained at 3-year follow-up. Results demonstrated that improvements in dyadic adjustment, trust, and forgiveness, as well as decreases in the severity of the attachment injury, were maintained over time. This follow-up study provides initial evidence of the long-term benefits of the Attachment Injury Resolution Model.
The path to a secure bond: Emotionally focused couple therapy
Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2006
Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) for couples combines experiential and systemic techniques to expand emotional responses and cycles of interaction. This approach has also been used to treat depression, chronic illness, and anxiety disorders. EFT appears to translate well across culture and class, focusing on universal key emotions and attachment needs. From the EFT perspective, adult love is a hardwired, adaptive attachment response. The therapist's in-session focus is on the processing of emotions and key interactional patterns as they occur in the present, because emotional experiences are the primary instruments of change in this approach. The therapist is a relationship consultant who offers a safe platform whereby each partner can distill, expand, and transform experience and find new ways to connect with the other. The case presented here illustrates the three stages of EFT: deescalation, restructuring interactions, and consolidation.
CHANGES IN RELATIONSHIP-SPECIFIC ATTACHMENT IN EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED COUPLE THERAPY
Emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT; Johnson, The practice of emotionally focused couple therapy (1st/2nd edition). Brunner-Routledge, New York, 2004) is an effective treatment of relationship distress (Johnson et al., Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 1999; 6, 67). However, less is known about EFT's impact on couples' relationshipspecific attachment bond. Using hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 32 couples, we examined session-by-session changes in couples' relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance and pre-to posttherapy changes in their relationship-specific attachment behaviors. Couples significantly decreased in relationship-specific attachment avoidance, and those who completed a blamer softening significantly decreased in relationship-specific attachment anxiety. Couples' attachment behavior significantly increased toward security. Finally, session-by-session decreases in relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance were significant associated with increases in relationship satisfaction across sessions. These results provide empirical support for the attachment-based assumptions of EFT.
Optimal Strategies in Couple Therapy: Treating Couples Dealing with the Trauma of Infidelity
Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 2008
Infidelity is one of the most difficult problems to address in couple therapy, most likely because it involves a traumatic relationship event that alters the ways in which couples process information about each other and established behavioral patterns. This article presents a three-stage treatment designed to address the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional sequelae of affairs that integrates cognitive-behavioral and insight-oriented strategies with the literatures on traumatic response and forgiveness. Critical and unique features of this treatment are discussed and a case study is presented to illustrate the treatment methods.
2020
Background: Emotion-based couple therapy is one of the couple therapy used to address the negative cycles of lasting interaction, tenderness, and emotions of clients. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of emotion-oriented couple therapy on emotion regulation, anger rumination and marital intimacy in women affected by infidelity. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, twenty women affected by infidelity referred to Iranmehr Counseling and Psychological Services Center in Rasht, Iran were included. Couple therapy sessions was performed for 8 two-hours weekly sessions. Emotion regulation, anger rumination and marital intimacy questionnaires were completed at baseline, after intervention, and one months later. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Emotion-based couple therapy had significant effects on emotion regulation (F = 11.27, P-value < 0.001), anger rumination (F = 308.7 and P-value < 0.001), and marital intimacy (F = ...
Predicting Change in Marital Satisfaction Throughout Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy
Journal of marital and family therapy, 2014
Emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT) is an empirically validated approach to couple therapy that uses attachment theory to understand the needs and emotions of romantic partners. EFT is recognized as one of the most effective approaches to couple therapy, but to guide therapists in their use of EFT, a theoretically based model to predict change is needed. This study tested such a model by recruiting 32 couples, and 14 therapists who provided approximately 21 sessions of EFT. Couples completed self-report measures of marital satisfaction, attachment security, relationship trust, and emotional control at pre- and posttherapy and after each therapy session. Results of hierarchical linear modeling suggested that individuals higher on self-report attachment anxiety and higher levels of emotional control had greater change in marital satisfaction across EFT sessions. Assessing attachment security at the start of therapy will inform therapists of the emotion regulating strategies used ...
A Study on the Effectiveness of Emotional Focused Couple Therapy on Intimacy of Couples
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013
In this study, the effectiveness of Emotional Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) on intimacy of couples was investigated. The Quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test and control group was used. Accordingly, 14 couples that had marital conflicts were chosen from two counselling centre of the Shiraz city by screening. Couples were randomly assigned in two groups, including an experimental (7 couples) and a control (7 couples) groups. All of the participants completed Intimacy Needs Questionnaire. After one week treatment sessions were executed on the experimental group. The experimental group received 8-10 sessions of emotionally focused couple therapy that each session lasted two hours. One week after the end of treatment sessions, the participants completed the questionnaire again T-test results of pre-test and post-test revealed that there is a significant difference between the two groups in intimacy. Further results (MANOVA) showed that EFCT increased emotional, psychological, sexual, physical, relationship, temporal and intellectual intimacy, but there was no significant difference between the two groups in social-recreational and spiritual intimacy. Authors concluded that EFCT increased intimacy in experimental group compared with the control group.
2010
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Infidelity and Behavioral Couple Therapy: Optimism in the Face of Betrayal
2005
Angeles) and MH56165 (awarded to Neil S. Jacobson at the University of Washington for a two-site clinical trial of couple therapy; after Jacobson's death in 1999, William George served as primary investigator at the University of Washington). The article is based in part on David C. Atkins' dissertation, which was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of Washington. We thank John Gottman, Peter Fehrenbach, Bob Kohlenberg, Sona Dimidjian, and Sara Berns for their insightful comments and feedback.