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CREATING HEALING RELATIONSHIPS FOR COUPLES DEALING WITH TRAUMA: THE USE OF EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED MARITAL THERAPY
Author(s) -
Johnson Susan M.,
WilliamsKeeler Lyn
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.1998.tb01061.x
Subject(s) - marital therapy , psychotherapist , psychology , family therapy , clinical psychology , emotional trauma
Emotionally focused marital therapy (EFT), a marital therapy that particularly focuses on the creation of secure attachment, has proven in empirical studies to be effective for distressed couples. This paper discusses the application of EFT in couples where one or both of the partners have experienced significant trauma. EFT, in this context of trauma, incorporates the nine steps of conventional EFT and also encompasses the three stages of the “constructivist” self development theory of trauma treatment. This paper illustrates how the integration of EFT and trauma treatement can prove effective in treating not only relationsip distress but also the individual symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).