A Review of the Research in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples

Wiebe, Stephanie A.; Johnson, Susan M.

doi:10.1111/famp.12229

Cited by 182 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy has a long tradition of rigorously testing clinical outcomes and processes of change associated with successful outcomes (Wiebe & Johnson, ). Process research is a vital aid to therapists understanding an approach, as clinical handbooks are rarely detailed enough to guide a therapist on all of the therapeutic tasks that facilitate change (Bradley & Johnson, ).…”

Section: Process Research In Eftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing Safety in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: A Single‐Case Process Study

Welch

Lachmar

Leija

et al. 2019

J Marital Family Therapy

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Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) is an effective approach to working with distressed couples. It is not only effective in reducing relationship distress, but also in successfully maintaining gains over time. In the current study, we sought to understand the therapy processes that result in the creation of safety during stage one of EFT. Safety is a key ingredient in stage one, setting the stage for deeper interpersonal and intrapsychic work in later stages of treatment. In order to achieve the study aim, we analyzed video recordings of the first six sessions of a single couple case from an EFT randomized controlled trial. Using a theory building case study approach, results reveal that all expected components related to the creation of safety were achieved. Additional findings from our analyses indicate that the therapist was highly active, especially in seizing key moments in the therapy provided by this particular case, which shifted the couple in the direction of safety and deescalated their interactional cycle. Implications of key findings are discussed.

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Section: Process Research In Eftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing Safety in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: A Single‐Case Process Study

Welch

Lachmar

Leija

et al. 2019

J Marital Family Therapy

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“…In a narrative review, Wiebe and Johnson () identified one controlled and two uncontrolled trials which evaluated the effects of emotionally focused couple therapy on post‐traumatic symptoms and relationship distress. In the controlled trial which involved couples in which one partner had post‐traumatic symptoms arising from child sexual abuse, Dalton et al .…”

Section: Disorders Where Anxiety Is a Central Featurementioning

confidence: 99%

Couple therapy, family therapy and systemic interventions for adult‐focused problems: the current evidence base

Carr

2018

Journal of Family Therapy

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This paper updates previous similar reviews published in JFT in 2000, 2009 and 2014. It presents evidence from meta‐analyses, systematic literature reviews and controlled trials for the effectiveness of couple therapy, family therapy, and systemic interventions for adults with a range or relationship and mental health problems. The evidence supports the effectiveness of systemic interventions, either alone or as part of multimodal programmes, for relationship distress, psychosexual problems, intimate partner violence, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, alcohol problems, psychosis and adjustment to chronic physical illness.

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“…Some have claimed EFT to be the most researched and most effective couple's therapy Wiebe and Johnson, 2016), with 10 sessions of EFT improving dyadic adjustment of the relationship, and others regard it as a form of exposure therapy, exposing the couples to experiences that are emotionally taxing within the relationship (Greenman and Johnson, 2013). A few sessions of EFT have also been found to elicit greater emotional dependency on the partner (allowing to "distribute" the risk), as handholding after EFT reduced the stress experienced after electric shock through Coan et al's (2006) handholding paradigm .…”

Section: Application Of Co-thermoregulation Into Current Therapiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modernizing Relationship Therapy through Social Thermoregulation Theory: Evidence, Hypotheses, and Explorations

IJzerman¹,

Heine²,

Pronk³

2017

Preprint

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In the present article the authors propose to modernize relationship therapy by integrating novel sensor and actuator technologies that can help optimize people’s thermoregulation, especially in social contexts. Specifically, they propose to integrate Social Thermoregulation Theory (IJzerman et al., 2015a; IJzerman & Hogerzeil, 2017) into Emotionally Focused Therapy. As such, the authors suggest to craft a Social Thermoregulation (the pleisiomorphic reliance of relationships on temperature regulation) type therapy to further improve relationship therapy. The authors outline what is known and not known in terms of social thermoregulatory mechanisms, what kind of data collection and analyses are necessary to better understand social thermoregulatory mechanisms, and stress the need to conduct Randomized Clinical Trials prior to implementation. They further warn against too hastily applying these theoretical perspectives. The article concludes by outlining why Social Thermoregulation Therapy is the way forward in improving relationship functioning.This paper was published in Frontiers:IJzerman, H., Heine, E. C., Nagel, S. K., & Pronk, T. M. (2017). Modernizing Relationship Therapy through Social Thermoregulation Theory: Evidence, Hypotheses, and Explorations. Frontiers in Psychology, 8.

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A Review of the Research in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples

Cited by 182 publications

References 63 publications

Establishing Safety in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: A Single‐Case Process Study

Establishing Safety in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: A Single‐Case Process Study

Couple therapy, family therapy and systemic interventions for adult‐focused problems: the current evidence base

Modernizing Relationship Therapy through Social Thermoregulation Theory: Evidence, Hypotheses, and Explorations

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