About emotionally-focused therapy (eft)
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) is an attachment-informed approach that helps you explore and reshape emotional responses that influence relationships and personal well-being. Below you can browse therapists who list EFT among their approaches to learn more about practitioners who emphasize emotion-focused work.
What to compare in entries
| Credentials | A US state licence, or membership of a professional body such as BACP or NCPS. They are different kinds of thing; each profile shows what was supplied. |
|---|---|
| Focus | Whether emotionally-focused therapy (eft) is listed as a main focus or among the wider list of areas. Entries show both. |
| Way of working | The approaches named on the entry. Two people working with the same concern can describe very different sessions. |
| Time in practice | Years in practice, as supplied. A fact to weigh, not a ranking. |
| Language | The languages sessions can be held in, where that matters to you. |
Common questions
How were these entries chosen?
Everyone listed on this page names Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) among the approaches they told the platform they use. They are not ranked, rated or endorsed by this directory, and the order is not a recommendation.
Do I need a referral to start?
No. You can contact a therapist through their entry directly. A GP referral is not required for independent online therapy.
What if the first therapist is not right?
Changing therapist is normal and expected, and can be done at any point. One session is a small sample of how someone works.
Entries for emotionally-focused therapy (eft)
Pietro (Pete) Martucci, LPCC
Ref 37848
Calm guidance for stress and life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, LGBT, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingRoseanne Jackson, LCSW, LCSW-R
Ref 54688
Compassionate, practical help for big life stressors
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingMark Dexter, BACP
Ref 188313
Practical therapy for mood and life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, LGBT, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingSiyue Zhang, AASW
Ref 243585
Calm, practical therapy focused on real-life change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English, Mandarin
View listingTheresa Huggins, LPC
Ref 219114
Therapist focused on practical emotional tools
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingDr. Wanetta "Nita" Hughes Bise, LPC
Ref 7050
Therapist focused on practical support
Works with: Relationship, Trauma and abuse, Parenting Languages: English
View listingAnn Keith, LCSW
Ref 103213
Compassionate, practical therapy for life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Grief Languages: English
View listingWilliam Signey, BACP
Ref 113870
Practical, person-focused counselling for life challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingLaMeshia Lipscomb, LPC
Ref 106169
Warm, practical counseling focused on goals
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship Languages: English
View listingRoselyn Robertson, BACP
Ref 202372
Sensitive, practical counselling for life’s difficult moments
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English
View listingKianni Johnson, LMHC
Ref 279980
Practical therapy for strong emotions
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Anger Languages: English
View listingWendi Makus, LPC
Ref 48129
Practical therapy for stress and relationships
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingShannon Mott, LCSW
Ref 108724
Compassionate, practical therapy for life transitions
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English
View listingTammy Russell, LMHC
Ref 181426
Compassionate, practical therapy for real-life struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingJennifer Blaney-Sutton, BACP
Ref 225637
Collaborative psychotherapist for adult challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Self esteem, Depression Languages: English
View listingEthel-Caroline Miman, AASW
Ref 259803
Gentle, practical therapy for life’s big challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingKeith Chilton, LMFT
Ref 106189
Experienced marriage and family therapist
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship Languages: English
View listingJennifer Mcpherson (Norman), BACP
Ref 161239
Experienced relationship and trauma counsellor
Works with: Relationship, Family, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingSuzanne Gregory, BACP
Ref 161266
Experienced UK counsellor focused on practical support
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingFarah Southwell, LPC
Ref 203059
Practical, experienced therapist for life’s hard moments
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English, Haitian Creole
View listingApril Vandiver, LPC
Ref 229121
Compassionate counselor helping people move forward
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Parenting Languages: English
View listingTitus Ajayi, BACP, NCPS
Ref 123864
Practical support for stress and mood
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Sleeping, Anger Languages: English
View listingDr. Heidi Duong, LMHC
Ref 185659
Helping people rebuild meaning and balance
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Eating Languages: English
View listingIjeoma Nweze, BACP, NCPS
Ref 203170
Compassionate counsellor for everyday challenges
Works with: Relationship, Family, Parenting Languages: English, Igbo
View listingDonna Khan, LMSW
Ref 29669
Experienced social worker focused on practical change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Family, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingDawn Meadow, LPC
Ref 76208
Calm, practical counseling for lifes hard moments
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Parenting Languages: English
View listingJosephine Sultana, AASW
Ref 309775
Compassionate social worker blending therapy and lifestyle care
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Sleeping Languages: English
View listingDeborah Youngblood, LCSW
Ref 229
Compassionate LCSW offering practical tools
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English
View listingSidonia Stiles, BACP
Ref 101572
Experienced counsellor for relationships and grief
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Grief Languages: English, Portuguese
View listingReuben Alexander, NCPS
Ref 212721
Practical, focused therapy for anxious and stuck feelings
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Sleeping, Depression Languages: English
View listingMaria "Patti" Lorenzo, LCPC
Ref 26902
A practical, compassionate approach to emotional change
Works with: Trauma and abuse, Self esteem, Coping with life changes Languages: English
View listingCynthia Gladyness, LMSW
Ref 44827
Practical, steady support for life's hard moments
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship Languages: English
View listingEdward Mcguinness, BACP
Ref 263954
Practical, respectful support for everyday struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingJay Cook, NCPS
Ref 200361
Compassionate counsellor focused on practical change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, LGBT, Relationship Languages: English
View listingJoyce Voltaire Huertas, LCSW
Ref 94229
Practical, relationship-focused therapy for life transitions
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingDaniel Windemer, NCPS
Ref 173238
Calm, practical counselling to help you move forward
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingMajeeda Muhammad Solivan, LCSW
Ref 342051
Guiding emotional growth and practical change
Works with: Addictions, Relationship, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingAngeline Walton (Tabbada), NCPS
Ref 201900
Compassionate support for stress, grief and relationships
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Family Languages: English
View listingSophia Mas, LMHC
Ref 91155
Compassionate counselor with practical tools
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English, Spanish
View listingAlice Rock, LMHC, LPC
Ref 69157
Stress and addiction counselor focused on wellness
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship Languages: English
View listingLorelle Busby, BACP
Ref 182380
Practical counselling for everyday struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingLouise Fielder, BACP
Ref 137857
Calm client-centred counselling for practical change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingDr. William Cook, BACP, NCPS
Ref 167158
Supportive counsellor for life transitions
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Trauma and abuse Languages: English, Spanish, French
View listingTinna Palmer, LSCSW
Ref 123063
Practical support for stress and life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingCarolyn Faucette, LISW
Ref 143321
Compassionate, practical therapy for everyday struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Grief Languages: English
View listingWendy Kesel, LCSW-R
Ref 204558
Compassionate guidance for practical life change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Family, Parenting Languages: English
View listingJamie Daugherty, LPC
Ref 62210
Practical support for managing life and emotions
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Family, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingSharan Thiara, BACP
Ref 139408
Compassionate practical support for life’s hard moments
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship Languages: English
View listingMore about emotionally-focused therapy (eft)
What Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) Is and the Principles Behind It
Emotionally-Focused Therapy, often shortened to EFT, is a therapeutic approach built on the idea that emotions are key to understanding patterns of connection and distress. Originating from research into adult attachment and emotion science, EFT sees emotional reactions as adaptive signals that, when understood and engaged with, can guide change in how you relate to yourself and others. The method emphasizes identifying underlying feelings, exploring their origins in attachment needs, and helping you access and reshape emotional responses that may no longer serve you.
The work in EFT centers on creating new emotional experiences in the therapy relationship that can alter entrenched interactional cycles. This typically involves tracking moment-to-moment emotional experience, naming and validating feelings, and helping you access more primary emotions that carry relational meaning. Therapists who use EFT aim to foster emotional regulation, increase awareness of core needs, and encourage new patterns of interaction that enhance connection and personal resilience.
What Types of Issues EFT Is Commonly Used For
EFT is applied to a wide range of concerns where emotions and attachment patterns play a significant role. Many people seek this approach for relationship difficulties, including persistent cycles of conflict, emotional distance, or problems rebuilding trust after a rupture. Couples work is a well-known application of EFT, though individuals, families, and some group formats also use its principles to address relational dynamics.
Beyond relationship-focused work, EFT is often used for challenges that involve strong emotional patterns, such as grief, trauma reactions, anxiety, and depression. In these situations, the method helps you explore how emotional responses are linked to meaningful needs and memories, and then develop more adaptive ways of responding. The emphasis on creating corrective emotional experiences can be helpful when past relational wounds continue to shape present behavior and mood.
What a Typical EFT Session Looks Like
If you attend EFT sessions, you can expect a focus on emotional experience in the present moment and on interactional patterns that maintain difficulties. Early sessions usually involve assessment and mapping - the therapist helps you identify repeated sequences of interaction or recurring emotional responses, and you work together to pinpoint moments where emotions shift. This shared mapping gives you a language to describe what happens between you and others or within your inner life.
In-session work often moves between exploring emotions as they arise and experimenting with new ways of responding. The therapist may encourage you to slow down and name bodily sensations and feelings, to access underlying needs, and to express these in ways that invite a different response from others. When working with couples, sessions might focus on moments of interaction, guiding you to articulate fears and needs rather than defensive positions. The therapeutic relationship itself is used as a live arena to try out new emotional responses and to receive a different kind of attunement than you may be used to.
How EFT Differs from Other Common Approaches
EFT is distinct in its specific focus on emotion and attachment as levers for change. Compared with cognitive approaches that prioritize altering thoughts and beliefs, EFT pays more attention to the felt sense of emotion and the relational meaning emotions convey. Where behavioral methods might emphasize skills training and exposure, EFT emphasizes accessing and transforming core emotional experiences to shift patterns at their source.
Compared with psychodynamic therapies that explore historical relationships and unconscious processes over long timelines, EFT tends to be more present-centered and experiential; the therapist guides you to engage with emotions in the moment to create corrective experiences. Family systems approaches share EFTs interest in relational patterns, but EFT uniquely foregrounds emotion as the mechanism of change and uses emotion-focused interventions to reorganize patterns of interaction and attachment responses.
Who Is a Good Candidate for EFT and What to Expect from the Process
You might consider EFT if you notice persistent emotional patterns that affect your relationships or sense of self - for example, repeated cycles of withdrawal and pursuit, overwhelming fears of rejection, or recurring emotional numbness. EFT is suited to people who are willing to explore uncomfortable feelings, to slow down in sessions, and to experiment with expressing needs or vulnerability in new ways. Those seeking work on grief, relational trauma, or chronic anxiety and low mood often find the approach helpful because it prioritizes emotional processing rather than only symptom reduction.
That said, EFT is not a single fit for everyone. If you prefer highly solution-focused sessions or want only immediate behavioral strategies, you may find parts of EFT that feel slower or more exploratory. The approach often involves revisiting painful feelings to access deeper needs and to reorganize relational responses; this can feel intense at times but is aimed at producing change in patterns that have been longstanding.
How to Find the Right Therapist Who Uses EFT
When searching for a therapist who works with EFT, look for professionals who list Emotionally-Focused Therapy among their approaches and who describe how they integrate emotion-focused methods into their practice. You can read practitioner bios to learn about their focus areas - such as couples work, trauma-informed care, grief, or mood disorders - and match those with the issues you want to address. Pay attention to the therapist's stated experience with the populations you identify with, the languages they offer, and the kinds of settings they describe.
In addition to approach and focus areas, consider the interpersonal fit you want in therapy. Look for descriptions that convey the therapist's orientation to emotion - whether they emphasize experiential work, attachment-based exploration, or an integrative style that adapts EFT principles to individual needs. It can be helpful to review how they describe goals in therapy and the ways they measure progress so you have a sense of what a working relationship might look like.
Finally, preparing a few questions before you reach out can make it easier to determine fit. You might ask how they typically structure sessions when using EFT, how they balance exploring emotion with practical coping strategies, or how they approach working with your particular concern. While this page helps you narrow options by approach and focus, the personal match between you and a therapist often plays a significant role in successful therapy outcomes.
Making the First Step
Starting therapy can feel daunting, but knowing what EFT emphasizes - emotion, attachment, and present-moment experience - helps you aim for a therapist whose approach aligns with your goals. Use the listings to compare approaches, focus areas, languages, and professional backgrounds, and look for descriptions that resonate with your needs. Taking the time to explore options can lead you to a practitioner who supports the kind of emotional work you are seeking.