Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples at Jackson Hole Mental Health is designed to help you interact with your partner in ways that bring closeness and intimacy rather than distance.

All too often, therapists get bogged down with what we call “content issues.” Content issues are things like money, sex or division of labor in the home. While these are common problems that bring many couples into counseling, they are usually symptoms of a deeper issue. Emotionally Focused Therapy recognizes that distressed couples have usually fallen into very negative, rigid, patterns of interacting with one another. These patterns get triggered when people feel vulnerable and insecure and then behave in ways to protect themselves. Unfortunately, these ways of self-protection (such as shutting down emotionally, withdrawing from the relationship, or becoming defensive) create distance and isolation in a marriage or intimate relationship. Emotionally Focused Therapy helps couples break out of these negative patterns and learn to communicate and interact with each other in ways that bring closeness and intimacy.


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