Emotionally Focused Therapy

Emotionally focused therapy recognizes the emotions we show are often times protective emotions which hide our true feelings. By communicating more deeply, we can acknowledge some of these aspects and although it may take additional courage, by being vulnerable, it helps our relationships improve.

April Hinrichsen has extensive training in and experience working with clients using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). EFT is a highly researched and successful model that supports couples who want to move from reactivity to deep meaningful connection and healing. Research has demonstrated that couples who have worked with an EFT therapist are better able to understand and manage their conflict while feeling closer and more securely connected.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) has quickly become one of the most popular approaches to working with couples. It is widely recognized as one of the most effective forms of couples therapy. The focus is on understanding how our emotions, interactions, and attachments come together to form healthy and unhealthy patterns in our relationship. EFT aims to encourage the growth of new healthy patterns and move away from unhealthy patterns.

Often times, people end up in therapy because they are struggling with difficult emotions. EFT is an approach that changes your relationship with your emotions by promoting understanding of how your emotions can help you and teaching alternate ways of coping with difficult emotions.

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is a powerful approach that helps individuals and couples identify, understand, and express their emotions. It's particularly effective in improving communication and emotional intimacy.

Using an integrated EFT approach I help couples and individuals identify their primary emotions, work through maladaptive responses, and develop empathy and compassion for themselves and others.

I have trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples with ICEEFT, which is based in attachment theory and provides a powerful framework for mapping, and then transforming, the cycles of interaction between partners that keep them stuck in conflict and disconnection. Combining this approach with others, I work with couples to unearth the hidden emotions and thought patterns that hold them back from creating the deep intimacy they long for.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is my primary treatment modality for couples. With the guidance of EFT principles, I help clients recognize their maladaptive patterns of relating. They are then taught how to recognize these patterns in the moment and choose a healthier and more productive communication style. Once clients are able to develop healthier communication skills, they are able to engage in deeper forms of communication that promote healing and connection.

When working with relationships and families, I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). EFT is one of the most successful treatments for couples/family therapy that pulls from a combination of Experiential, Attachment, and Systemic Theories. I believe it is crucial to develop a safe, empowering relationship with clients. EFT teaches family members to slow down interactions and fully experience emotions as a strong, family unit. I advanced have experience using EFT within the LGBTQ community.

Sometimes you feel your emotions so strongly that it prevents you from thinking straight. I teach clients to regulate and cope with negative emotions as well as gain awareness of their emotions. Furthermore, I assist with developing a strategy to work effectively with a range of emotions.

Based in attachment theory, I have found Emotionally Focused Therapy to be especially successful when mending and supporting relationships, and for navigating life after trauma. Trauma has been an emphasis in my education, and I am especially skilled in working with children, teens and families struggling to form and maintain a healthy lifestyle and thriving relationships after enduring relational devastation.

When we suppress or numb our emotions we don't get to pick and choose the ones we want to feel, they all get suppressed. Emotions are information and they are often trying to tell us important things. Recognizing and sitting with our emotions is a practice that we can get better at; allowing us to move deeper into our understanding of ourselves and others.

I use a highly experiential approach to therapy. This means I believe that simply thinking or talking about a problem is not enough to create real change. In order for change to occur, we need to go deeper, beyond the thinking mind. Research shows that having a felt experience opens up pathways to new ways of thinking and being. This means we will be working toward having new, felt sense experiences to help you move beyond stuck patterns and ineffective coping strategies and toward real change.

In 2023 I completed a training in EFT for use in couples. This modality is based off attachment theory and works to help the couple understand what influences their behavior and reactions towards their partner. It creates deeper understanding and meaning in your relationship and gives you the tools to more effectively navigate conflict with one another.

For individuals, EFT enables exploration and transformation of emotional states contributing to distress, fostering self-acceptance and resilience. For couples, EFT delves into the emotional bond, unearthing unmet needs and improving communication, conflict resolution, and emotional intimacy. For families, EFT unravels interaction patterns, enhancing communication and connections among family members.

Our team specializes in Emotionally Focused Therapy. We have all received advanced training in EFT. Some are Certified in EFT, and the others are working towards Certification. We regularly invest in advancing our skill as couples therapists using EFT, deepening knowledge in specialty topics such as helping couples reconnect sexually; work through a partner's trauma, depression or anxiety; working through relationship crises such as affairs or addictons; and helping couples restore relationships at risk of divorce and significant disconnection.