EFT and DBT
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
EFT is a structured approach to couples therapy developed in the early 1980s by Drs. Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg. While initially designed for couples, EFT is also used with families and individuals. Grounded in adult attachment theory, EFT has proven to be a powerful tool for healing relationship distress in couples of all types. Extensive research has demonstrated the effectiveness of EFT, with approximately 70-75% of couples moving from distress to recovery and around 90% showing significant improvements. EFT is practiced in private practices, university training centers, hospital clinics, and among diverse cultural groups worldwide. It has been successful in addressing various challenges faced by couples, including same-sex partners, those coping with chronic illness or the loss of a child, and individuals dealing with conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic illness. EFT is usually short term (8-20 sessions).
Strengths of Emotionally Focused Therapy:
• EFT is based on clear, explicit conceptualizations of marital distress and adult love. These conceptualizations are supported by empirical research on the nature of marital distress and adult attachment.
• EFT is collaborative and respectful of clients combining experiential Rogerian techniques with structural systemic interventions.
• Change strategies and interventions are specified.
• Key moves and moments in the change process have been mapped into nine steps and three change events.
• EFT has been validated by over 20 years of empirical research. There is also research on the change processes and predictors of success.
• EFT has been applied to many different kinds of problems and populations.
This information is borrowed from www.ICEEFT.com. Please visit for more information.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavioral treatment initially developed to address chronic suicidality in individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). It has since become recognized as the gold standard psychological treatment for this population. Furthermore, research has shown its effectiveness in treating a wide range of other disorders, including substance dependence, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders.
What are the components of DBT?
In its standard form, DBT consists of four components: skills training group, individual treatment, DBT phone coaching, and consultation team. Increasing evidence suggests that DBT skills training alone can be a promising intervention for both clinical and nonclinical populations across various settings.
1. DBT skills training group is focused on enhancing clients’ capabilities by teaching them behavioral skills. The group is run like a class where the group leader teaches the skills and assigns homework for clients to practice using the skills in their everyday lives.
2. DBT individual therapy is focused on enhancing client motivation and helping clients to apply the skills to specific challenges and events in their lives.
3. DBT phone coaching is focused on providing clients with in-the-moment coaching on how to use skills to effectively cope with difficult situations that arise in their everyday lives. Clients can call their individual therapist between sessions to receive coaching at the times when they need help the most.
4. DBT therapist consultation team is intended to be therapy for the therapists and to support DBT providers in their work with people who often have severe, complex, difficult-to-treat disorders. The consultation team is designed to help therapists stay motivated and competent so they can provide the best treatment possible.
What skills are taught in DBT?
DBT includes four sets of behavioral skills:
• Mindfulness: the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment.
• Distress Tolerance: how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it.
• Interpersonal Effectiveness: how to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others.
• Emotion Regulation: how to change emotions that you want to change.
This information was borrowed from “What is DBT” at www.behavioraltech.com. Please visit for more information.