SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF EMOTION FOCUSED THERAPY
www.EFTSoCal.com

What is a training in Emotion Focused Skills Training for Parents?
In two days, parents get the tools they need to help their children in their recovery.
This training gives a complete overview of the theory, practice, and research of an emotion-
centered, humanistic approach to supporting the parents of individuals who struggle with
any mental health challenge. Emotion Focused Skills Training for Parents (EFST) conveys an
unyielding belief in parents’ motivation and ability to heal the parent-child relationship and
help their child (young, adolescent, or adult child) through their struggles. Drawing on the
most current understanding of emotions and human development, the model clearly
outlines a central role for parents in treating and preventing mental health difficulties in
their families. It is a cost-efficient approach with up to 40 parents in one workshop and it is also evidence based.
The training of EFST clinicians is practically oriented and experience-based, which means that
participants learn specific skills in how to supervise parents and do parent workshops.

What do I learn?

 

1. You will learn to do a 2-day parent workshop in EFST (in person or online)
The first two days of this 4-day training is conducted as a standard parenting workshop,
where we encourage participants to work on their relationship with their own children. You
don’t have to be a parent to attend this training. If you don't have children, you work with
other important close relationships, such as a partner, sibling, close friend or colleague. The
first part of the training is conducted as a standard parenting course, for the participants to
gain experience of what it is like to work with their own close relationships, as we require of
parents when we as therapist and clinicians do workshops and supervise in this method. In
the first two days the participants learn about competitive motivation and feeling traps, what
emotions are and how they work, as well as the three skills: validation, boundaries and
apology.
2. You will learn how to do EFST parent supervision with one or both parents in the room.
On the last two days of the training participants learn technique called chair-work. In this
intervention the parent has a conversation with their imaginary child in an empty chair or a

part of themselves. This fuels the emotion, rises the level of experience and gives words and
meaning to difficult feelings in challenging situations. We five different chair works. Three
where the parent practices different skills: validation, boundaries and apology. Two different
self-self-processes: Feeling traps in parents and in the clinicians.
Participants practice being both the caregiver and the supervisor in order to learn how to
work with emotions in families, and to learn the chair work interventions. The participants
also work with their own therapist material. I’s painful to go into our own difficult emotions,
especially about our parenting and our children. We feel guilt, we’re worried sick, or we just
don’t know what to do – sometimes. All the same and actually because of it, this is essential
in learning EFST. We can’t practice working with emotions without emotions present in the
room. The exercises are the uniqueness of EFST education. And the good thing is, if you have
children of loved ones who struggle with mental health issues or is going through a difficult
time – taking this training will have a fair chance of helping them and helping you. The
research on EFST suggest not only do children s symptoms of mental health difficulties
reduce - it also happens in the parent! The trainer will facilitate an empathetic and caring
group environment.

Who is training me?

 

Anne Hilde Vassbø Hagen is a psychologist, author, mother of three, and filmmaker who produced the popular educational film series Alfred & Shadow. She is head of the Institute of Psychological Counseling, Inc., in Norway, and the director of The Norwegian Institute of Emotion-Focused Therapy. She has written several books in Norwegian about emotions. She is co-author of the book, Emotion-Focused Skills Training for Parents: A Guide for Clinicians and Angry kids, Angry Parents – Understanding and Working with Anger in Your Family. She is an experienced trainer, speaker, and therapist in emotion focused therapy and emotion focused skills training for parents and is also trained in emotion focused couple’s therapy. She’s funny, warm and knows the model to the tip of her fingers. She will take good care of you – AND she’s awesome at making sure you get enough through the day.
Bente Austbø will join in as a trainer. She is a fabulous child psychologist trained in EFST and EFT, mother of one teenager and works at the Institute of Psychological Counseling/The Norwegian Institute of Emotion-Focused Therapy . She is also the co-author of the EFST textbook. And she is really funny, and empathic and she is the head of the EFST department at The Norwegian Institute of Emotion Focused Skills Training. A skilled and experienced trainer and supervisor

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Can I join the training?
 

Probably! The training is for therapists and parent supervisors - anyone who supervises parents or treat mental health difficulties in children, adolescents or adults.
The method was originally developed from work with eating disorders in any age group, and has developed in to a method for helping parents support their children’s recovery from general mental health issues.

Should I prepare for the workshop?

 

Nah, not if your busy and it just feels like it’s too much. Just show up as you! But if your eager to do something and you find the time to do it, you can read the EFST textbook before starting the course. It’s written by Joanne Dolhanty, Anne Hilde Vassbø Hagen, Bente Austbø, Vanja Hjelmseth. You can buy it here: https://emptychairpublisher.com/
Participants can, if they wish, purchase access to online recordings of the parenting workshop with the founder of EFST, Dr. Joanne Dolhanty for one year here:
https://www.emotiontraininginstitute.org/courses/efstp
If you’re really curious and also want a book for you as a parent, you can preorder this book on EFST and anger, written by Anne Hilde & Joanne: https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/angry-kids-angry-parents

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Where can I read up on the science behind the method?

 

Here is the research on EFST
Ansar, N., Hjeltnes, A., Stige, S.H., Binder, P-E., & Stiegler, J.R. (2021). Parenthood – lost and found: Exploring parents’ experiences of receiving a program in emotion focused skills training. Frontiers in Psychology.
Ansar, N., Nissen Lie, H., Zahl-Olsen, R., Bertelsen, B. T., Elliott, R., & Stiegler, J.R. (2022).
Effectiveness of parental emotion-focused skills training for internalizing and externalizing

symptoms in children: A randomized clinical dismantling study. Journal of Clinical and Child &
Adolescent Psychology. 
Ansar, N.; Nissen Lie, H.; Stiegler, J.R. (2023). The effects of Emotion Focused Skills
Training on parental mental health, emotion regulation and self-efficacy: Mediating
processes between parents and children. Psychotherapy research.
Bøyum, H., & Stige, S.H. (2017). “I understand her better now” – A qualitative study of
parents’ experiences of their relationship to their children after emotion-focused family
therapy (EFFT). Scandinavian Psychologist.
Lehmann, V. O., Ansar, N., Kårstad, S. B., Markova, V. & Ness, O. (i prosess). Implementing an online program on Emotion Focused skills training (EFST) for parents in Norway: Insights from user
involvement and cultural sensitivity.
Severinsen, L., Stiegler, J. R., Nissen-Lie, H. A., Sahar, B. & Zahl-Olsen, R. Effectiveness of
emotion focused skills training for parents: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial in
specialist mental health care. BMC Psychiatry.
Here is some more research on emotions-focused approaches for parents and families.
Foroughe, M. (Ed.). (2018). Emotion focused family therapy with children and caregivers: A trauma-
informed approach. Routledge.   
Foroughe, M., Stillar, A., Goldstein, L., Dolhanty, J., Goodcase, E.T. & Lafrance, A. (2018). Brief
emotion focused family therapy: An intervention for parents of children and adolescents with
mental health issues. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. DOI:10.1111/jmft.12351   
Lafrance Robinson, A., Dolhanty, J., Stillar, A., Henderson, K. & Mayman, S. (2014). Emotion‐focused family therapy for eating disorders across the lifespan: A pilot study of a 2‐day transdiagnostic intervention for parents. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 23(1), 14-23.   
Lafrance Robinson, A., Strahan, E., Girz, L., Wilson, A. & Boachie, A. (2013). “I know I can
help you”: Parental self-efficacy predicts adolescent outcomes in family-based therapy for eating
disorders. European Eating Disorders Review, 21(2), 108-114. DOI: 10.1002/erv.2180 
Stillar, A., Strahan, E., Nash, P., Files, N., Scarborough, J., Mayman, S., Henderson, K., Gusella, J.,
Connors, L., Orr, E.S., Marchand, P., Dolhanty, J. & Lafrance Robinson, A. (2016) The influence
of carear fear and self-blame when supporting a loved one with an eating disorder. Eating
Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention. DOI:
10.1080/10 640 266.2015.1133210   
Strahan, E., Stillar, A., Files, N., Nash, P., Scarborough, J., Connors, L., Gusella, J., Henderson, K.,

Mayman, S., Marchand, P., Orr, E.S., Dolhanty, J. & Lafrance, A. (2017). Increasing parental
self-efficacy with emotion-focused family therapy for eating disorders: A process
model. Person-centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, 16, 3.

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