We Heart Therapy

Dr. Sue Johnson is an author, clinical psychologist, researcher, professor, popular presenter and speaker, and a leading innovator in the field of couple therapy and adult attachment. Sue is the primary developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which has demonstrated its effectiveness in over 35 years of peer-reviewed clinical research. Sue is the founding Director of the International Centr...

When clinicians and therapists have clients that are more challenging than others because they present with more difficult dynamics, it can feel hard for the therapist to know how to confront and be direct about things in sessions with their clients in a way that is empathic and honors the truth, but doesn't shut down the client or activate their defenses. Join We Heart Therapy host Anabelle Bugat...

Whenever two people come together, they each bring different experiences often around the same events or situations that have taken place. In couples therapy, being able to sit with both people within the relationship and make space for their experiences without taking sides or feeling like it has to be one truth or the other, can be a difficult challenge. Emotionally Focused Therapy is a model of...

Emotionally Focused Therapy is an attachment-based model working in the zone of live emotions to help create second-order change. Join We Heart Therapy Host Dr. Belle, PhD, LMFT and Jim Thomas, ICEEFT Certified EFT Trainer & Therapist as they discuss how to get unstuck from intellectualizing emotions to going deeper into connecting to real live emotion in session. For more information on EFT a...

Many Couples Therapists are interested in learning how to conduct intensive therapy sessions but are unsure how to go about switching from regular ongoing weekly sessions to 2 or 3 day couples intensives. Traditional Therapy is helpful for so many clients, however, many people don't have the schedule availability that permits regular sessions, and their relationship is suffering now. The good news...

As a therapist practicing Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), understanding secure attachment is paramount to providing effective couples counseling. Secure attachment serves as the foundation for healthy and thriving relationships, and EFT utilizes this knowledge to help couples strengthen their emotional bonds. By understanding the importance of secure attachment, therapists can guide couples in...

As mental health clinicians and couples therapists, having an effective map to help clients navigate their emotional pain and problems is essential. As EFT Therapists, we all learn EFT at different paces, and sometimes, as we get more complex cases and our own development in the model grows, we can sometimes forget some of the basics. Join We Heart Therapy host Anabelle Bugatti, Ph. D./LMFT/Certif...

When people re-partner or remarry, bringing children with them from past relationships into their new relationship, sometimes the process of formulating a new family unit, or blending families into stepfamilies can present some unique challenges that couples have to face, not just within their couples relationship but within the new family unit as well. Join We Heart Therapy Host, Dr. Belle, Ph. D...

If you're a therapist or professional counselor, working with clients who have been through a loss and are grieving is an important area to be fully trained in to provide the best care. The mental health industry's current Gold Standard for therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy or EFT, whether for couples, families, or individuals, has been demonstrated through many outcome research to be one of th...

In relationships we often get into negative "cycles" or patterns of interaction, where miscommunication leads to anger, defenses, and disconnection. One of the most common relational patterns is the Pursuer-Withdrawer pattern. Pursuers often initiate discussions, want to talk things out right away, and move closer toward their partner to connect, whereas Withdrawers often shut down or get silent t...

Emotionally Focused Therapy currently holds the APA Gold Standard of couples counseling because of its rigorous research and outcome studies on the efficacy of the model and its interventions. But many don't know that EFT is also perfect for working with Individuals and Families! Join We Heart Therapy Host Dr. Belle, PhD, LMFT, and Dr. Sue Johnson, the Pioneer of Emotionally Focused Therapy, as th...

The client's use of their spiritual values and religion in their therapy sessions can really be an asset to the client's mental health. However, sometimes, clients can use their religious values or spiritual beliefs as a block or an exit during sessions as a sort of bypass to avoid doing some of the deeper emotional work that's needed. Spirituality and Religion can be super helpful, and it can be...

Anger can easily be one of the most misunderstood emotions. Anger tells us something important about a person's pain and fear and plays an important function in our survival. Sometimes anger can also show up as a response to trauma, and learning how to work with anger similarly to the way we work with Trauma can be helpful in working with angry clients. Join We Heart Therapy host Anabelle Bugatti...

As therapists, we often help couples rebuild their connection, but what happens when a couple doesn't stay together? There are many resources for grieving from someone's passing, but not a lot of resources to help someone who is going through the end of a relationship, heartbreak, or break up. Join We Heart Therapy host, Dr. Belle, PhD, LMFT Certified EFT Supervisor & Therapist, and special guest...

As therapists, we often have clients that come to therapy that engage in habits and behaviors that are consistent with addiction, but because their behaviors don't fit into the stereotypical societal definition of addiction, they may struggle to see the problem with their behavior or even recognize their behavior as a part of problematic substance use. Join We Heart Therapy Host Dr. Belle Ph. D.,...

There are many reasons why a person may have had to learn to shut down emotion, avoid doing emotion or simply was never taught how to express their emotions outwardly, all of which have nothing to do with Autism. Yet, many therapists mistake a lack of emotional expression right off the bat for Autism, which can cause a therapist to jump to a pathological conclusion without really understanding the...

Anger is perhaps one of the more misunderstood emotions and is commonly more challenging dynamic therapists work directly with when it comes alive in therapy sessions. Join EFT Supervisor/Therapist Dr. Belle, Ph. D. LMFT and special guest ICEEFT Certified EFT Trainer George Faller, LMFT, EFT Trainer/Supervisor and President of the NY Center for EFT as they discuss how to understand and work with A...

Right now in society, it has never been more important to learn how to have hard conversations that are effective and lead to understanding and healing the pain of social injustices and injuries that have taken place. The good news is, is that Emotionally Focused Therapy offers us a clear roadmap for having such challenging and important conversations. Using the EFT map around healing attachment i...

Therapy isn't always about restoring bonds and helping them heal and avoid breaking apart; sometimes bonds and relationships break apart, and our clients need a safe place to process the hurt and begin the journey towards healing. As a therapist learning to use the model and methods of EFT, it is valuable to know how to adapt the interventions specifically when working with individuals. This video...

When clinicians and therapists have clients that are more challenging than others because they present with more difficult dynamics, or seem resistant to the necessary work needed to create the change they desire, therapists can easily get stuck in pathology, diagnosis, and even struggle to maintain the therapeutic alliance, especially in couples therapy sessions where the alliance must be built w...

If you're a therapist or professional counselor, working with clients who have been through trauma is an important area to be fully trained in to provide the best care. The mental health industry's current Gold Standard for therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy or EFT, whether for couples, families, or individuals, has been demonstrated through many outcome research to be one of the most effective...

As a therapist, having a clear road map as to how to help your clients with Pornography and sex addiction using a model of counseling that is proven to be effective is essential. The good news is that there such a model of counseling available, Emotionally Focused Therapy pioneered by Dr. Sue Johnson. With EFT, there is literally not a clinical population or presenting issue that the model cannot...

As a therapist, having a clear road map as to how to help your clients based on a model of counseling that is proven to be effective is essential. The good news is that there such a model of counseling available, Emotionally Focused Therapy pioneered by Dr. Sue Johnson. With EFT, there is literally not a clinical population or presenting issue that the model cannot help with. One of the population...

Many women don't have the kind of sex life they enjoy or desire. Many have grown up in households where they were taught not to talk about sex or that it is shameful, making it difficult to have open conversations in their relationships so they can have meaningful dialogue and be able to explore their relationship to sex, have sexual experiences that they enjoy and create a sexual relationship wit...

Attachment Theory and Science is widely understood as the science of love and bonding, yet Attachment Science is so much more. Attachment science is actually a science of human behavior, emotion regulation, as well as bonding and love. Understanding how these come together provides the key to understanding humanity, what motivates people and why they do the things that they do. Join We Heart Thera...