What is EFST?

Emotion Focused Skills Training is a training program with:
1. A simple structure for learning and teaching emotion and emotion focused skills
2. Broad applications from the non-clinical to the advanced clinician, supervisor and trainer
3. The possibility for expanding, deepening and mastering emotion focused experiential skills
EFST was developed to provide training and guided practice in utilizing the experiential skills of the Emotion Focused approach to therapy. It places strong emphasis on experiential learning and is highly focused on practice change at all levels of experience. It is therefore suitable for those with previous emotion focused training and experience (advanced or basic), as well as for those new to the Emotion Focused approach.

EFST can supplement other emotion focused training. For those with that prior training, it will support the process of turning theory into practice by focusing on therapist processes and therapist blocks, helping clinicians to overcome hesitations to use, deepen and master emotion focused skills. For those new to the approach, it will provide an introductory immersion into the experiential skills of the Emotion Focused approach, to enhance clinical mastery in any context. For application to parents and caregivers, it will stand alone as the basic training in learning to do that work.

EFST is built around the concept of an Emotion Focused Skill NET to structure the teaching and learning of emotion focused skills.

THE EMOTION FOCUSED SKILL NET

Navigate Emotions – Enhance Motivation – Transform Relationships

1. Navigate the world of emotions and develop self-efficacy in working with emotion
2. Enhance motivation-to-change with emotion focused techniques
3. Transform relationships with emotion focused tasks

Within each of these three domains, there is a very basic set of skills, as well as a virtual “file drawer” of increasingly advanced levels of skills and skill-acquisition guidance.

This structure of EFST has applications to a variety of settings and populations including individual and group therapy; supporting and training parents and caregivers; enhancing personal growth; teaching emotion focused skills in schools and other professional teams; as well as training supervisors and trainers.