Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)

​

Emotion-Focused Family Therapy’s (EFFT) goal is to support you as a parent or a caregiver to increase your engagement in your loved one’s recovery from mental health issues. According to EFFT it is believed that empowering you as a parent or a caregiver and supporting you to become a healing agent for your child is therapeutic. EFFT can be delivered with entire families, parent-child dyads, or with parents or caregivers only. One of the main strengths of the EFFT approach is that you can be supported to take on these roles regardless of your loved one’s age or involvement in formal treatment themselves. You are encouraged to interrupt symptoms and maladaptive behaviours (anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, etc.) and support health-focused behaviours, help your loved one to process painful emotions and to manage stress, and to facilitate the repair of relational injuries. Your fears and obstacles which interfere with your ability to be effective in your efforts are also addressed.

 

Reference:

Lafrance A., Henderson K. A., and  Mayman S. (2020). Emotion-Focused Family Therapy: A Transdiagnostic Model for Caregiver-Focused Interventions. American Psychological Association.