Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples in San Diego
When you and your partner are caught in the same painful patterns; arguing, shutting down, or drifting apart - it can feel overwhelming. You want to feel close again, but nothing seems to break the cycle.
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples is an evidence-based approach designed to help partners move from disconnection to closeness. By focusing on the emotions and attachment needs underneath the arguments, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples helps create lasting change in how you relate to each other.
Schedule a Free Consultation to explore whether Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples could help your relationship.
What Is Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples?
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples was developed by Dr. Sue Johnson and is now one of the most researched and widely practiced approaches to couples therapy worldwide. Unlike approaches that focus mainly on communication skills or problem-solving, Emotionally Focused Therapy goes deeper, helping partners understand their emotional needs and fears so they can reconnect.
(Curious about EFT for individuals? Learn more on my page about Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy.)
How Emotionally Focused Therapy Helps Couples
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples is especially effective if you and your partner:
Feel stuck in repeated arguments that never resolve
Struggle with distance, avoidance, or withdrawal
Long for closeness but keep missing each other emotionally
Are trying to rebuild trust after a rupture or betrayal
Research shows Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy improves relationship satisfaction, reduces conflict, and helps couples create more secure, lasting bonds.
The Three Stages of EFT for Couples
De-escalation – slowing down conflict and helping you see the negative cycle, rather than each other, as the enemy.
Restructuring interactions – learning to express needs, fears, and longings in ways that bring you closer instead of pushing you apart.
Consolidation – strengthening new patterns of connection so the changes last.
Why Choose Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy?
At its core, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy helps partners create secure attachment: the ability to turn to each other with trust, openness, and vulnerability and be emotionally attuned and present with each other. It’s not about perfect communication or never arguing again, but about knowing you can reach for your partner and they’ll be there.
Schedule a Free Consultation to learn more about Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples in San Diego or online.