EFT emotionally focused for couples
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples is a proven approach to deepen emotional connections and resolve relationship challenges. Explore how EFT at Gorog Health can help you and your partner build a stronger, more fulfilling relationship through enhanced communication and emotional understanding.
What is this Type of Therapy?
Emotionally Focused Therapy accepts that emotions are strongly linked to our identity. They act as guides that can help us make decisions daily. People who often avoid their emotions or who lack emotional awareness cause more harm than good. Often used in couples therapy, it can rekindle the physical and emotional bond that may be stifled by one or both partners.
With guidance from a therapist, couples are led to discover unmet needs, share vulnerability, and have conversations that open the doors for expressions of tenderness.
What are the Steps?
A course of treatment typically consists of eight to twenty sessions held once a week. The couple’s history and present interactions will provide valuable insight into their life outside of the therapy office. The first phase is dedicated to A) Understanding the most pressing issues and B) Learning the skills to de-escalate emotional reactivity that a distressed couple often experiences.
The second stage is dedicated to restoring the bond the couple once shared. The goal is to create a safe space so both partners can share (and even explore) their emotions constructively. Couples learn to comfort each other and establish a baseline level of emotional safety in communicating their negative feelings.
The final stage consolidates the new skills learned in couples therapy. In stage 1, couples learned de-escalation skills. In stage 2, couples learned how to provide comfort and security in expressing vulnerable and hard-to-talk-about emotional truths.
In stage 3, the therapist will ask questions about how the couple is navigating new challenges in their daily lives. Patients get comfortable expressing and communicating emotions. Once both individuals have learned to collectively handle conflict in their relationship, couples therapy through emotional-focused therapy is completed.
How does it work?
Emotional Focused Therapy works, as mentioned above, in three stages:
De-escalation + Assessment
- Identifying Negative Interaction Habits – This can be fighting, stonewalling, raising voice, etc
- Accessing Deeper Emotions – Couples are asked to assess what the underlying emotion they are experiencing
- Creating a Safe Space – The therapist can then create a safe space for couples to express their vulnerabilities and fears
Restructuring the Relationship
- Identifying Attachment Needs: The couple explores their attachment needs and how they are met or unmet in the relationship.
- Creating New Emotional Experiences: The therapist helps the couple create opportunities to experience new, positive emotional connections.
- Developing New Interaction Patterns: The couple learns to interact in ways that promote intimacy and connection.
Consolidation + Integration
- Strengthening the New Bond: With opportunities to express emotions safely, real intimacy can occur.
- Developing Problem-Solving Skills: When new obstacles arise, couples with new communication and coping skills gained through EFT can problem-solve effectively.
- Creating a Vision for the Future: A shared vision for the future can be co-created with effort from the couple.
How does it help?
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples helps by addressing intimacy issues that may have been caused by avoiding emotions. Integral to EFT is owning our emotions and expressing them in healthy ways. When these skills are acquired, couples are better equipped to handle different challenges and adversities in life.
What is it used for?
Emotionally Focused Therapy is primarily used for couples therapy but can also be used for family counseling or group therapy. The core principles can help people relate to each other in more constructive ways, whether that be two or more people.
Who does this type of therapy make sense for?
EFT makes sense for any relationship that is struggling with infidelity, gambling, addiction, constant fighting, or communication/trust issues. The same approach can be helpful for families experiencing discord.
What Makes Us Qualified for This Type of Treatment?
Dr. Gorog spent two years obtaining her Master’s in Clinical Counseling and then obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology which is the highest level of preparation and training a mental health professional can complete to offer the most comprehensive mental health treatment and therapy. Her doctorate program included 5 years of full-time study involving coursework, research, a practicum, a dissertation, and one year on a doctoral internship. Currently, she has now over 12 years of experience and practice as a mental health professional.
- Acceptance: With a trained psychotherapist, learning to accept events, both past and possible future events, is the first step in undergoing contextual behavioral therapy.
- Mindfulness: By staying present with the emotions that come up, you’ll be able to acknowledge feelings without getting caught up in them.
- Values Clarification: At this stage, questions of values typically arise. At this juncture, a trained psychotherapist can ask you questions that allow you to reflect on what values you adhere to. Usually, these values are not chiseled, and a trained therapist helps you clarify them.
- Committed Action: Once this discovery is made, committed action is required. The final aspect of contextual behavioral therapy is having a therapist help you decide on what goals are meaningful to you and stick to them.
What Does A Timeline Look Like?
How long symptoms take to resolve depends on the severity of the psychological issue. For people who’ve suffered a near-death experience and suffer from PTSD might take longer than someone who faces social anxiety. It also depends on the individual’s willingness, to be honest and be flexible in the therapeutic process.
Someone who’s successfully completed EFT will have built skills to manage and understand their emotions more effectively, enabling others to do the same. This type of therapy takes anywhere from 8 to 20 sessions. It will take longer if the patient has historically avoided feeling or talking about emotions. This type of patient might take longer than 20 sessions. Full cooperation and vulnerability are required for a successful therapeutic intervention.
What our Client's Say
Adam and Cam Wells2024-05-30We recently had the pleasure of having sessions for our child with Dr. Gorog for help with anxiety and behavioral development, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Dr. Gorog is truly exceptional in her approach, skillfully addressing both the psychological and somatic aspects of anxiety. Her comprehensive method ensures that every facet of one's well-being is considered, not just the mental or emotional symptoms. From the very first session, Dr. Gorog made my kiddo feel understood and at ease. She has a remarkable ability to identify the physical and somatic manifestations of anxiety and provides practical strategies to alleviate these symptoms. Her holistic approach has helped ALL of us gain a deeper understanding of how the body and mind are interconnected, which has been incredibly empowering. Dr. Gorog's expertise in treating anxiety is evident in the personalized care she offers. She tailors her sessions to the patient's unique needs, and ensures that our child always feel supported and heard. With her guidance, our child has learned effective techniques to manage anxiety, and we as the parents have learned a great deal more about how to support their journey. I highly recommend Dr. Gorog to anyone struggling with anxiety, especially if you're looking for a provider who addresses both the mental and somatic dimensions of this condition. Her compassionate care and comprehensive treatment approach have made a significant difference in our family and our kiddo.
Linden Brooks2024-03-20Dr.Gorog is the best therapist I've ever seen. After struggling with my mental health for years and trying multiple therapist and approaches I was losing hope....until I walked into Dr.Gorogs office. She creates an environment of safety allowing you to be truly vulnerable, for me I was able to go deeper then ever before. This environment and trust allows her to guide patients in restructuring the meaning assigned to external factors and exploring how past events and traumas have wired our brains, which for me was a large cause of my mental distress. She helped me reframe my anxiety and view it in a positive light, an emotion/stimulus I no longer fight but embrace and explore with curiosity. Through our time, I've done some exploration of my mental health outside of traditional practices, she was supportive, encouraging, and provided valuable advice on how to approach a new therapy modality, which was solely effective because of the work we had previously done. Furthermore, she was important in the integration of the experience and holding me accountable to the discoveries. I would recommend Dr.Gorog to any and everyone whose looking to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their emotions, overcome and cope with deep trauma, navigate a large life event, or simply improve your life to lessen your symptoms and be more fulfilled.
Gabe Casher2023-08-10As a fellow therapist, I highly recommend Dr. Gorog for psychotherapy services. She has a warm and down-to-earth presence, and uses an evidence-based, no nonsense approach with her clients. She is direct and gentle at the same time, which leads to great outcomes for clients. With Dr. Gorog, you are in good hands!
Efrain Lemus2022-04-12Best psychotherapy in Denver, I was having hard problems with anxiety and she gave me the tools to fight the anxiety and keep it controlled. Dr. Lauren I’ll definitely come back to you in the future when I feel the anxiety is getting out of control again.
Terrel Davis2021-07-07Dr. Gorog is a well-qualified and compassionate therapist, who provides a safe environment for self-growth and healing. Without hesitation, I recommend her highly to friends and family.
Amber “Amber B Shells”2020-12-19My experience with Dr. Gorog was extremely insightful. I have learned skills and knowledge that cause me to feel calmer, more secure in myself and gave me a deeper understanding to myself on a deeper level. I tend to be a sensitive person due to trauma and with my session with Dr. Gorog I gained a higher level of consciousness and was able to see how things effect my nervous system and heart rate. My session gave me the understanding of how things that appear as normal daily occurrence like my phone ringing effected my physiological make up and took me out of the present moment. Amber B. Shells
Marc Allan (Marc_Allen)2020-02-15I have made great progress with my anxiety and depression with Dr. Gorog’s help. Dr. Gorog is passionate about helping others and is one of the most compassionate people I’ve met. She has helped me look at life and myself in thoughtful and positive ways. I highly recommend Dr. Gorog.
Gorog Healh
In The News
Denver based Clinical Health Psychologist, Dr. Lauren Gorog, appears on the Kathie J Show from KCDO Local3 & Denver7 to speak about sleepwalking, night terrors, night terrors vs nightmares, and child sleepwalking vs adult sleepwalking.
Watch this interview of Dr. Gorog on the Kathie J show on Local3 Denver’s Hometown Station where they discuss all things insomnia, CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia), and what insomnia treatment and help with sleep looks like in my practice.
Watch this interview of Dr. Gorog on the Kathie J show on Local3 Denver’s Hometown Station where they discuss all things insomnia, CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia), and what insomnia treatment and help with sleep looks like in my practice. Click here to go to the article.
