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EFT-Individuals Certification Process Recognized by International Society for Emotion Focused Therapy

The ISEFT (International Society for Emotion Focused Therapy) Board has created minimum standards for training programs.

  1. There are 5 levels of recognition and also the possibility of certification.

    • Level A: Completion of Basic EFT Training

    • Level B: Completion of EFT Supervised Practice

    • Level C: Certified EFT Therapist

    • Level D:  Supervisor

    • Level E: Trainer 

Level A: Completion of Basic EFT Training

  1. Participants should have a minimum prior training: Must have a professional training in some form of therapy and be an accredited practitioner. 

  2. Basic didactic/experiential workshop training (=Levels 1 & 2): Minimum 8 days, run by certified or approved EFT trainers,

  3. Initial Supervisory Experience:

    • (a) At least 3 days group supervision (with presentation of at least one client for 1 hour); or

    • (b) five hours of individual supervision of own work with at least 2 clients,

Level B: Completion of EFT Supervised Practice

Trainees who have completed this level of training will be listed on the training program website and in the ISEFT website as Completion of EFT Supervised Practice Requirement.  Completing Supervised Practice does not guarantee competence.

  1. Completion of Basic EFT Training [Level A]  

  2. Direct Personal Supervision of own work (review of recordings of sessions): minimum 16 hours, with at least 2 clients, in group or individual format

  3. Recommended Practice: See at least two individual clients for a total of at least 60 sessions of EFT including empathy, deepening, tasks, and case formulation. 

Level C: Certified EFT Therapist

  1. EFT Level B: Completion of EFT Supervised Practice

  2. Evaluation of EFT Therapist Skills

    • Certification attests to the fact that a therapist’s practice has been evaluated and judged to be competent by an EFT supervisor

    • Trainees who have completed this certification process will be listed on the training program website and in the ISEFT website as Certified EFT Therapist

    • Evaluation of EFT skills is based on demonstration in at least:

    • (a) Two videotaped sessions (involving two different clients) with competent active task work in them 

    • (b) Brief case description, including a competent case formulation

    • (c) One certified EFT supervisor listens to and rates for competence on the EFT Therapist Evaluation Form 

 

EFT Therapist Evaluation Form Items 
Demonstration of EFT Skills in:

  1. Empathy

  2. Marker identification

  3. Emotional deepening

  4. Appropriate use of EFT tasks, such as focusing, reprocessing, enactment/active expression work, alliance/interpersonal/relational work  

  5. Ability to think about clients in EFT terms (case formulation, process identification, marker identification, use of experiential formulation responses)

Level D: Certified EFT Supervisor

The local programs will approve supervisors.  ISEFT will list supervisors on its website.

  1. Level C: Certified EFT Therapist 

  2. Prior accreditation as a supervisor; or supervision of supervision; or one or more rounds as assistant trainer (facilitator for skill practice) for level A (EFT 1 or 2) 

  3. Accreditation/approval by an approved EFT Trainer per their judgement

 

Level E: Certified EFT Trainer

  • Anyone wishing to become a trainer or an Institute Based Trainer will need to apply to the board member most known to them through training who will make a recommendation to the ISEFT board for its approval. The ISEFT Board will certify trainers.

  • The following are the criteria for becoming a trainer:

    1. Level D: Certified EFT supervisor

    2. Recommendation by an approved EFT Trainer per their judgement on the basis of supervision (planning, review and/or observation) of at least two different half-day EFT training modules 

    3. Attend at least three days of discussion-based supervisor/trainer training workshop; or equivalent supervision or consultation on training.

Difference between
Primary & Secondary Emotions 
Different Kinds of Emotional Processing
Dr. Robert Elliott
What is core pain
Core pain & unmet need
How to get to core pain?

EFT Supervision 

Currently SoCal Institute of EFT offers group and individual supervision.

For details and fees please contact

Ladan Safvati at eftsocal@gmail.com

Useful Links and Resources

Resources for further readings

Sandra C. Paivio & Antonio Pascual-Leone (2023)

Emotion-Focused Therapy for Complex Trauma

Aman Kwatra, Ladislav Timulak, Sharon Lu Huixian, Ciara Joyce & Mary Creaner

Transforming emotional Pain

An Emotion-Focused Workbook

Ladislav Timulak & Daragh Keogh (2022)

Transdiagnostic Emotion-Focused Therapy

Joanne Dolhanty, Vanja Hjelmseth, Bente Austbo & Anne Hilde Vassbo Hagen

Emotion Focused Skills Training for Parents 

Leslie S. Greenberg (2021)

Changing Emotion with Emotion 

Robert Elliott, Leslie S. Greenberg (2021)

Emotion-Focused Counselling in Action

Rhonda N. Goldman, Alexandre Vaz, Tony Rousmaniere (2021)

Deliberate Practice in Emotion-Focused Therapy

Leslie S. Greenberg, Goldman, Rhonda, (2019)

Clinical Handbook of Emotion-Focused Therapy, Washington: APA Books

Leslie S. Greenberg, (2016)

Emotion-Focused Therapy, Theories of Psychotherapy Series: APA Books

 

Leslie S. Greenberg, PhD., 2002 or 2015 

Emotion-focused Therapy: Coaching Clients to Work Through Their Feelings,

Jeanne C. Watson and Leslie S. Greenberg (2017)
Emotion-Focused Therapy for Generalized Anxiety

 

Goldman, R.N. & Greenberg, L.S. (2014).  
Case Formulation in Emotion-Focused Therapy:
Co-creating Clinical Maps for Change, Washington: APA Books

Paivio, Sandra & Pascual-Leone, Antonio (2010)

EFT for Complex Trauma

An Integrative Approach, Washington DC., APA Books.

 

Greenberg, L. S.& Goldman, R. N. (2008). 
Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy: 
The Dynamics of Emotion, Love, and Power, Washington: APA Books.

 

Watson, J. C., Goldman, R. N., & Greenberg, L. S. (2007). 
Case-studies in the experiential treatment of depression: 
A comparison of good and bad outcome.  Washington: APA Books.

 

Greenberg, L. S. & Watson, J. C. (2005). 
EFT for Depression.  Washington: APA Books. (This book has been translated and republished in Complex Chinese language by permission of APA in 2009)

 

Elliott, R., Watson, J. C., Greenberg, L. & Goldman, R. (2003).  
Learning emotion focused psychotherapy: The process-experiential approach to change. Washington: APA Books.

Greenberg, L. S. & Paivio, Sandra C. (2003)

Working with Emotions in Psychotherapy.

New York: Guilford Press.

Watson, J. C., Goldman, R. & Warner, M. S. (Eds.). (2002). 
Client-centered and experiential psychotherapy in the 21st century: Advances in theory, research and practice. Ross on Wye:  PCCS Books.

Greenberg, L. S., Watson, J. C. & Lietaer, G. (Eds.). (1998). 
Handbook of experiential psychotherapy.  New York:  Guilford Press. 

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