Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is a therapeutic approach that emphasizes the importance of emotions in understanding and resolving psychological difficulties. Developed by Leslie Greenberg and colleagues, EFT recognizes that emotions play a central role in human experience and that they can guide adaptive responses to life’s challenges.

In EFT, the therapist helps individuals explore and work through their emotions to promote healing and growth. The focus is on increasing emotional awareness, identifying and understanding the underlying causes of emotional distress, and developing new ways of responding to emotions.

EFT views emotions as valuable sources of information and aims to facilitate their expression, validation, and transformation. Through techniques such as empathic attunement, experiential interventions, and emotion processing, individuals are encouraged to embrace their emotions rather than suppressing or avoiding them.

By engaging in EFT, individuals can gain insight into the meaning and function of their emotions, leading to increased self-acceptance, enhanced emotional regulation, and improved overall well-being. EFT is widely used in the treatment of various mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and relationship difficulties.