Who is this training for?

All mental health professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, family physicians, social workers, psychiatric nurses, counsellors (including couples and family therapists), pastors and clergy, and students training in these professions. School counsellors are permitted to attend if they are licensed and belong to a professional body that has standards of practice for psychotherapy/counselling.

Life coaches are not permitted to attend unless they also meet one of the mental health professional categories listed above.

What will I learn in Externship?

By the end of the Externship, participants will:

• Obtain a clear understanding of the basic experiential systemic concepts of an “Emotionally Focused” approach to therapy.

• Be able to view clients in the web of their interpersonal attachments and conceptualise relationship distress and repair based on theories of attachment and emotion.

• Take account of the impact of discrimination and oppression on individuals and their relationships, including distress and resilience.

• Develop skills in sharing and maintaining an engaged, open and collaborative alliance with clients

• Develop skills in the 5 moves of the basic macro-intervention, the EFT Tango – in order to change patterns of affect regulation, models of self and other, strategies for engaging others and interactional patterns.

• Develop skills in EFT micro interventions taken from experiential and attachment systemic models of intervention.

• Participants will develop skills in overcoming common blocks and impasses in couple therapy and so shape core corrective emotional experiences that lead to constructive dependency and what Rogers termed ‘existential living.’

About Emotionally Focused Therapy

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a distinctive therapeutic approach designed to enhance individuals' and couples' emotional awareness and relational dynamics. Originating in the 1980s by Dr. Sue Johnson, EFT underscores the significance of emotions in shaping human experiences and interpersonal connections.

Central to its framework is the notion that humans possess an innate capacity for secure self-identity, fostering trusting relationships with others. This foundational premise suggests that fostering secure emotional bonds contributes to overall well-being and psychological health.

EFT exhibits remarkable versatility, renowned not only for its efficacy in enhancing romantic relationships through Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) but also for its applicability to individuals and families.

Individually, EFT (EFIT) proves instrumental in addressing conditions such as depression, anxiety, and trauma-related emotional distress.

In family contexts, EFT (EFFT) serves to deepen familial ties and ameliorate relational strains, rendering it a viable option for families seeking to fortify their cohesion.

What distinguishes EFT is its emphasis on emotional intelligence and regulation as fundamental to relational success. By facilitating a deeper understanding of one's own emotions and those of others, EFT fosters healthier and more gratifying interpersonal connections. Its therapeutic approach transcends mere symptom alleviation, striving instead for enduring transformation.

Beyond its theoretical underpinnings, EFT's efficacy is substantiated by extensive empirical research, positioning it as a cornerstone in the therapeutic landscape. Moreover, EFT principles have been adapted to develop various relationship enhancement programs, including "Hold Me Tight® Online" for couples, "Hold Me Tight®: Conversations for Connection" in virtual format, and specialized interventions tailored to specific demographics, such as "Created for Connection" for Christian couples and "Healing Hearts Together" for couples navigating cardiac issues. Additionally, family-oriented programs cater to the unique needs of adolescents and adult children.

For those seeking to cultivate deeper interpersonal connections, navigate emotional challenges, bolster self-assurance, and enhance familial or romantic relationships, Emotionally Focused Therapy stands as an invaluable resource. Its ethos of nurturing secure attachments, fostering emotional literacy, and promoting psychological well-being underscores its potential to engender profound and lasting personal growth.

Prerequisites & Sequence

ICEEFT recommends taking Fundamentals of EFT prior to this course. There are no prerequisites for an EFCT Externship.

EFCT Core Skills follows an Externship.

Required Reading:

The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connection, 3rd edition, by Susan M. Johnson, 2020. Routledge.

Recommended Readings:

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

Becoming an Emotionally Focused Therapist: The Workbook, 2nd  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.

Past Externships in Kansas City

About Trainer Debi Scimeca-Diaz, LMFT, LCADC

Debi Scimeca-Diaz is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the state of New Jersey.  She is the director of the New Jersey EFT Center.  She has a full-time private practice where she specializes in couples therapy and provides on-going local and long distance EFT supervision and training. She spent 9 years as a Clinical Director of a community mental health Outpatient Clinic where she provided supervision, training and mentoring to new therapists in the field.  Debi is an AAMFT clinical member and Approved AAMFT supervisor.  She is dedicated and passionate about providing quality training to other professionals.  Her goal is to touch the people she works with on a deeper level.  For more information, visit her website at www.CouplesTherapyNJ.com or www.EFTCNJ.com.

Register Now!

**Early Registration through 6/14/2026