Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) Core Skills

“Core Skills” (also known as “EFCT Core Skills Training”, “Extended Core Skills”, and “Standard Core Skills”) is an advanced training in the EFT for Couples (EFCT) stream. There are also equivalent courses in EFT for Families (EFFT) and EFT for Individuals (EFIT) streams.

Overview

Core Skills Training requires that participants have completed a 4-day Externship. Core Skills Training led by a Certified EFT Trainer comprises four 2-day events that occur over the space of approximately one year and is limited to 12 participants or up to 16 if there is a second Trainer or Certified EFT Supervisor leading the group. In the overall context of the EFT Tango, each 2-day session is dedicated to specific steps of the model and the therapeutic tasks and interventions characteristic of those steps. The training includes a minimum of 48 hours of in-depth instruction, practice, and feedback, culminating in a crucial step towards EFT certification.

Beginning in 2024 a Standard Core Skills Training will also become available. Standard Core Skills is a reformatting of the Extended Core Skills to comprise a total of 24 hours of training: 12 hours dedicated to Stage One and 12 hours dedicated to Stage Two. The training can be offered online or in person by an ICEEFT-Certified Trainer. Just like the Extended version, Standard Core Skills workshops are considered core training and one of the requirements for certification in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy. Applicants for certification are required to attend the full 24 hours. Upon completion of the full 24 hours, trainers will issue Standard Core Skills certificates to participants.  

Participants are required to present their own work through audio/videotape presentation. Registrants will be required to declare their professional designation.

Please note: While both the Standard (24hr) and Extended (48hr) versions of Core Skills qualify toward ICEEFT Certification, participants must complete one or the other. In other words, participants in an Extended Core Skills may not simply stop after 24 hours and receive a certificate of completion. The pacing of the curriculum for each version of Core Skills is not the same.

What will I learn in “EFCT Core Skills”?

• Deepen your understanding of the EFT model and its application in couple’s therapy.
• Develop EFCT skills through a combination of instructional review, skill demonstrations, and live session observations.
• Engage in hands-on practice of EFT techniques and exercises.
• Receive individual feedback on your EFCT skills development via case presentations.
• Delve deeper into the EFT tango, understanding its application within different stages of therapy.
• Apply the EFT model through role-plays and discussions, aiming towards certification.

Who is this training for?

Core Skills training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is designed for mental health professionals who seek a deeper mastery of EFT for couples therapy. This includes psychologists, psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, registered marriage and family therapists, counsellors, and specialists in abuse and addiction. Participants are required to be a member of a mental health professional organization and currently working, or in the process of training to work, with couples in their clinical practice. The program equips participants with advanced skills in applying EFT’s therapeutic techniques and interventions, essential for those on the path to becoming certified EFT therapists.

Prerequisites & Sequence

EFCT Externship must be completed prior to taking EFCT Core Skills.

Required reading: The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connection, 3^rd  edition, by Susan M. Johnson, 2020. Routledge.

Recommended reading: Becoming an Emotionally Focused Therapist: The Workbook, 2^nd  edition, by James L. Furrow, Susan M. Johnson, Brent Bradley, Lorrie L. Brubacher, T. Leanne Campbell, Veronica Kallos-Lilly, Gail Palmer, Kathryn Rheem, Scott R. Woolley, 2022. Routledge.

Upcoming “Core Skills” Events