Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) Essentials

“EFIT Essentials” (equivalent to EFIT Levels 1 and 2) is a training in the EFT for Individuals (EFIT) stream. There are also equivalent courses in EFT for Couples (EFCT) and EFT for Families (EFFT) streams.

Overview

Beginning in 2024, explore the enriching journey of Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) through our EFIT Essentials training. This consolidated program is an amalgamation of our previous Level 1 and Level 2 trainings, now offered as a seamless, intensive learning experience. The training is structured to provide a solid foundation and an advanced understanding of the EFIT model, embedded within an attachment science framework. Through a blend of theoretical instruction and experiential exercises, participants will be guided to apply the model with individuals in their practice, fostering their growth as adept, attuned, and responsive EFIT therapists.

This 4-day (24hr) training event is a didactic and experiential program where participants will be invited to apply the principles and interventions of Emotionally Focused Therapy with individuals. The training will delve into the heart of the empirically-validated EFIT model, presenting a coherent framework for understanding individual emotional processing and change.

What will I learn in “EFIT Essentials”?

Participants will learn to:

• Describe the key elements of the attachment perspective on personality and its significance for clinical intervention
• Set out clients within and between cycles and how they create each other and link to presenting problems that manifest as emotional disorders
• Describe the core components of emotional disorders – depression and anxiety
• Outline the process of change and the elements of the EFT Tango to shape corrective emotional experience, such as affect assembly and deepening
• Describe the micro-interventions used by the EFT therapist
• Outline the applicability of EFIT for different clients with different symptomatology.
• Adopt an attachment humanistic perspective on clients, problems and interventions
• Discover and distill core emotional experiences and promote emotional balance
• Outline protective, self-defining and interactional iatrogenic patterns
• Implement the 5 moves of the EFT Tango to shape corrective emotional experience and EFT micro-interventions.
• Choreograph dramas that expand the self and open engagement with others
• Integrate corrective emotional experiences into models of self and other
• Validate the client’s sense of competence and worth in every session.

Who is this training for?

EFIT Essentials training is designed to be an immersive and enriching professional development opportunity, aimed at equipping mental health professionals with the essential skills and knowledge necessary for effective EFIT practice. Through a blend of theoretical teachings, practical exercises, and collaborative learning, this program aims to foster a deeper understanding and proficient application of the EFIT model, empowering participants to contribute to the mental health and well-being of individuals they serve.

Prerequisites & Sequence

ICEEFT recommends taking Fundamentals of EFT prior to this course. There are no prerequisites for EFIT Essentials.

EFIT Level 1 + EFIT Level 2 are equivalent to EFIT Essentials. Note: During 2024, EFIT Levels 1&2 will be replaced by EFIT Essentials.

EFIT Consultation follows EFIT Essentials (or EFIT Level 2).

Required reading: A Primer for Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT): Cultivating Fitness and Growth in Every Client by Susan M. Johnson and T. Leanne Campbell, 2022. Routledge.

Recommended Readings:
Attachment Theory in Practice: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with Individuals, Couples, and Families by Dr. Susan M. Johnson, 2019. Guilford Press.

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 “EFIT Level 2” Events

Upcoming “EFIT Essentials” Events