The numbers in parentheses are linked to specific References at the bottom of this page. If you are interested in learning more about the methods I use, their success rates, and other research in marriage and family therapy, the References listed here are great places to start.

Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples

The core of my practice is work with couples. I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). I've had the pleasure of attending training with Dr. Sue Johnson, who developed the model, and had the bulk of my training under Dr. Scott Woolley, who is a frequent collaborator with Dr. Johnson and travels around the world training therapists in EFT.

EFT is one of only two methods of couples therapy with a strong enough research base to earn the title "empirically supported." It has been shown to be highly effective in repeated studies using various types of couples. Roughly nine out of ten couples completing EFT experience significant improvement in their relationship.(1) There is a major distinction between EFT and the other empirically-supported method, Behavioral Marital Therapy (BMT): Couples who finish BMT start to lose the gains they've made almost immediately after ending treatment. In EFT, couples tend to keep their gains, and even build on them, after treatment.(2)

Some of the statistics on EFT, as established in a recent meta-analysis (a compilation of several academic studies):
     * Roughly 9 out of 10 couples who complete EFT will improve their relationship more than an untreated couple. (1)
     * More than half of distressed couples who complete EFT wind up not just improved, but recovered. (See definitions below.) (1) UPDATE: A second meta analysis has raised the recovery rate with EFT to up to 73 percent. (3)
     * Participants in EFT complete the process with higher ratings of adjustment, intellectual intimacy, and improvement on their target complaints than couples who complete a therapy focused specifically on problem-solving.(1)
     * EFT is designed to be completed in just 8 to 12 weekly sessions.(1)

I'll continue to add information on the effectiveness of EFT in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Definitions

Distressed - A couple is said to be "distressed" if their scores on measures of relationship satisfaction place them at major risk for separation or divorce, based on long-term studies of other couples. Distressed couples have historically been the hardest for therapists to treat successfully; Emotionally Focused Therapy seems to work quite well.

Improved - A couple completing treatment is considered "improved" if their scores on relationship satisfaction measures have increased beyond what could be expected by chance. "Improved" is one way of saying a couple's relationship has gotten better.

Recovered - A couple completing treatment is said to have "recovered" only if all of the following are true: They entered therapy as a "distressed" couple; they made significant and reliable improvement through the course of therapy; and at the end of therapy, they no longer qualify as "distressed" on measures of relationship satisfaction.

References
Note: These are in order of their appearance above.

1. Byrne, M., Carr, A., & Clark, M. (2004). The efficacy of behavioral couples therapy and emotionally focused therapy for couple distress. Contemporary Family Therapy, 26(4), 361-387.

2. Cloutier, P. F., Manion, I. G. Walker, J. G., & Johnson, S. M. (2002). Emotionally focused interventions for couples with chronically ill children: A two year follow-up. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 28(4), 391-398.

3. Johnson, S. M. (2002). Marital problems. In Sprenkle, D. H. (Ed.), Effectiveness research in marriage and family therapy. Washington, DC: AAMFT.