The Pathway to Becoming a Certified Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Therapist
- Adity Tulshyan
- Sep 6, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 22, 2024
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), developed by Dr. Sue Johnson, has become one of the most effective and widely recognized approaches for helping couples, individuals, and families. If you’re a therapist looking to deepen your skills and become certified in EFT, it’s important to understand the pathway to becoming a Certified EFT Therapist through the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
Below, we’ll walk you through each step of the certification process, helping you understand what is required and how to achieve this prestigious qualification.
1. Completion of the EFT Externship
The journey towards certification starts with the 4-day Externship in Emotionally Focused Therapy. This foundational training is essential for understanding EFT principles and gaining practical experience.
What to expect in the Externship:
• Introduction to the attachment theory underpinning EFT.
• An in-depth look at the EFT model, with an emphasis on understanding how emotional connection and disconnection impact relationships.
• Live session demonstrations by a certified EFT therapist, allowing you to see the model in action.
• Opportunities to practice EFT interventions in role-play exercises.
An Externship is required before any other advanced EFT training.
2. Completion of EFT Core Skills Training
After the externship, the next step is Core Skills Training, which deepens your understanding and application of the EFT model. Core Skills is typically broken into 4 modules, each focusing on a specific aspect of the model, and requires a total of 48 hours of training.
What to expect in Core Skills Training:
• In-depth exploration of EFT Stages and Steps.
• The opportunity to hone therapeutic interventions, including de-escalation techniques, accessing primary emotions, and restructuring interactions.
• Small group learning that includes supervision and feedback on your clinical work.
Core Skills provides a space to refine your EFT skills and prepares you for applying EFT in a variety of cases.
3. Supervision/Consultation Hours with an ICEEFT-Certified Supervisor
Once you’ve completed Core Skills, the next requirement is engaging in supervised clinical practice under the guidance of an ICEEFT-Certified Supervisor.
You must complete:
• A minimum of 8 hours of individual supervision or 16 hours of group supervision.
• Submit three video recordings of your therapy sessions demonstrating your EFT work. These must include:
• One complete session of a couple therapy case from Stage 1 of EFT.
• One complete session from Stage 2.
• A final session that demonstrates your work in Stage 3.
Supervision helps you refine your application of EFT, provides constructive feedback, and allows you to receive mentorship from experienced EFT practitioners.
4. Submission of the Application for Certification
After completing the externship, Core Skills training, and supervision hours, you’ll be ready to submit your application for certification to ICEEFT.
The application requires:
• Documentation of your externship, Core Skills training, and supervision hours.
• The three video recordings mentioned above, which must demonstrate your ability to work through the EFT process with couples.
You will also need a letter of recommendation from your ICEEFT-Certified Supervisor, attesting to your skills and readiness to be an EFT therapist.
5. Certification and Ongoing Professional Development
Upon successful evaluation of your videos and application, you will be awarded ICEEFT certification as an EFT Therapist. Certification is a mark of expertise and dedication to Emotionally Focused Therapy.
It’s important to note that certification is not the end of the journey. Ongoing professional development and peer consultations are encouraged to maintain the high standard of care associated with being an EFT therapist. ICEEFT offers a variety of advanced trainings and opportunities for continued learning, such as EFT Summits and workshops.
Why Pursue EFT Certification?
Becoming a certified EFT therapist opens up new opportunities for you as a mental health professional. EFT is recognized as an empirically supported treatment for couples and has proven effective in helping individuals and families heal emotional wounds and build stronger relationships.
Increased Credibility: EFT certification sets you apart as a therapist dedicated to mastering a specialized and research-backed approach to therapy.
New Opportunities: Being part of the ICEEFT community provides opportunities for networking, referrals, and advanced training.
Greater Impact: EFT certification allows you to help couples and individuals make meaningful, lasting changes in their emotional lives.
Next Steps: Register for EFT Externship
Ready to start your journey toward EFT certification? The first step is to register for an EFT externship. The externship is being offered in various locations globally, with a special focus on bringing EFT to new regions such as India and other underserved areas.
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