Explore EFT Certification

Want to reach to stretch to the next level?
Curious about the benefits of
ICEEFT Certification as an EFT Therapist?

Explore here to learn more!
(Those seeking to be Certified EFT Supervisors, see the lower half of this page.)

As EFT has been evolving, so has the Certification process. Prior to 2024, Certification was focused on Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) (the place where EFT first found its roots). As of 2024, ICEEFT began providing three tracks for certification. Since EFT is one model with three modalities, with new horizons being developed and honed in the realms of Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) as well, there is now a way to get certified in each modality. The general descriptions of the overall process are below and then specific information for each track can be explored on the below links for EFCT, EFIT, and EFFT.

If you want to learn more about what is involved with getting certified as an EFT therapist, check out the below links. Also consider working with an EFT Supervisor to help you achieve your goal! It is a journey that can’t be done alone. Let me come alongside you and support you!

Key Documents to help you with EFT Certification:
Check out these resources on the ICEEFT website to support your journey to certification.

Level 1: Certification as an EFT Therapist:

• The Road to Certification (This is a great first place to explore.)

• General Overview of Skills Required for EFT Certification (EFCT, EFIT, and EFFT) - scroll down just below the graphic

• Specific Details for the Different Types of EFT Certifications:

  • EFCT (Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy) Certification:

    • EFCT Courses and Steps to Certification

    • Becoming an EFCT Therapist (on the ICEEFT Members website, so you need to be a member to see this one) **This is the core page linking you to details for the key forms and expectations for the EFCT certification process.

      • Video Release Form

      • **EFCT Certification Video and Case Conceptualization Guidelines

      • Therapist Certification Application Checklist (all modalities)

      • General Overview of Skills Required for EFT Certification (EFCT, EFIT, and EFFT)

      • Guidelines for Certifying Therapists - specifics to have in the videos

        • This document describes the specifics of what is expected in the skill-set and video segments of EFT therapists to meet the criteria for ICEEFT Certification as an EFCT Therapist. (This is an older, retired document, but provides helpful specificity, so is included here.)

      • Therapist Certification Checklist for Supervisor (all modalities)

      • Hightail link for submitting video to ICEEFT

        
        

• Publicly accessible OVERVIEW pages of what is involved for ICEEFT Certification on the three tracks:

  • EFCT (Couples) - This is the public website for describing Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and what is involved in training and certification with this track.

  • EFIT (Individuals) - This is the public website for describing Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy and what is involved in training and certification with this track.

  • EFFT (Families) - This is the public website for describing Emotionally Focused Family Therapy and what is involved in training and certification with this track.

• These next webpages require you to be an ICEEFT member to access, so join (it’s worth it!) and explore further!

  • EFCT (Couples) Certification - includes all of the specifics for applying, guidelines of what is expected for the Stage 1 and Stage 2 video excerpts, etc.

  • EFIT (Individuals) Certification - more detail regarding certification

  • EFFT (Families) Certification - more detail regarding certification

• EFT Therapist Certification Checklist (all modalities)

• Skills Guideline for Certification - General Overview (all modalities)

  
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Level 2: Certification as an EFT Supervisor:

Certification as an EFT Supervisor has three tracks, and you can do all three!

You can become:

1) Certified as an EFCT Supervisor (for therapists working with couples),

2) Certified as an EFIT Supervisor (for therapists working with individuals), and

3) Certified as an EFFT Supervisor (for therapists working with families)

As the Graphic above indicates, it all begins with being ICEEFT Certified as a Therapist in the desired modality first (so, for example, you must be ICEEFT Certified as an EFCT Therapist before you can begin the journey to become an EFCT Supervisor Candidate and eventually an EFCT Supervisor).

For Details on Each Kind of EFT Supervisor Certification, you must be an ICEEFT Member to explore the below links on the ICEEFT website:

1. EFCT Supervisor Certification

2. EFIT Supervisor Certification

3. EFFT Supervisor Certification
   

Here is a sneak peak at what ICEEFT is looking for in an EFCT Supervisor (and the expectations are similar for EFIT and EFFT Supervision, again, see details on the above website links):

The Key Principles of EFCT Clinical Supervision

• A positive working alliance between the supervisor and supervisee is fostered because safety enhances learning.

• Modelling is available: the supervisor actively demonstrates EFCT interventions (e.g., demonstrates attachment language and non-verbal behaviors of EFT).

• Observation of therapy sessions occurs or transcripts are examined. Role plays with feedback give an opportunity for rehearsal.

• Feedback to the supervisee is clear, focused, supportive, and congruent with the supervisee’s stage of learning.

• Specific elements are pointed out for the supervisee to improve or work on.

• Written theory and techniques of the EFT model are referred to and taught in relation to practice (e.g., steps, stages, interventions, experiential and non-pathologizing approach).

Guidelines for EFCT Supervisor Certification

The 2 main considerations in reviewing supervision videos

1. How is the relationship between supervisor and supervisee characterized in terms of safety, collaboration, transparency, genuineness and is there a strong working alliance?

2. Does the supervisor focus on EFCT – the Stage of EFT and the Moves of the Tango that the therapist is doing, helping with case conceptualizing, developing experiential skills, and helping with future planning, etc.?

Specific considerations

• Is the focus on the client(s) and learning the EFCT model, in particular?

• Is the focus on the self of the therapist, if necessary, and is this focus within the boundary of supervision, not therapy?

• Is there use of video clips from recorded sessions?

• Is there use of role play?

• Does the Supervisor model, discuss, and name interventions, including the use of the moves of the EFT Tango?

• Does the Supervisor recommend any reading and/or the use of EFCT training videos to help supervisee?

• Does the Supervisor tune into the learning needs of the supervisee? Is the supervision paced to the supervisee’s developmental level?

• Does the Supervisor specify strengths and weaknesses of the supervisee?

• Does the Supervisor specifically help with accessing and integrating emotion and with shaping enactments using the moves of the EFT Tango?

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Additional helps for the journey:

• To get support with how to record your sessions, click HERE.

• Before ever recording sessions, be sure to have your clients sign a Consent to Record and Observe form. Here is a sample you may personalize for your practice. An alternate version is this one by ICEEFT.

• Great headset with noise-canceling microphone for using with your sessions: Logitech USB Headset H390 with Noise Cancelling Mic. You can hear your clients well, you can go soft, slow, and low, and they can hear you well still, and you can adjust the levels and mute briefly if needed, etc.

• For certification as a therapist (not as a supervisor), it used to be a requirement (through 12/2023) as part of submitting our application to ICEEFT that we therapists type verbatims of our two 20-minute video clips. That is no longer a requirement, and is now optional. I HIGHLY recommend you still do that since we learn so much from the process of slowing down and stepping back to analyze our own work, typing out the words, identifying the interventions we used (labeling each one), and reflecting on what we would like to have done differently. Transcription pedals are REALLY helpful for this (unless you are paying a medical transcriptionist to do it securely and getting permission from the clients!). There are many options out there for transcription pedals. Here is one I found helpful when I was going through the process. (If you live in the Central PA area, I am glad to loan mine. Just reach out!)

• The Infinity Digital Foot Control pedal works with a software that can be found on the website  

  https://transcribe.wreally.com/. The software is designed to allow you to slow down the video to the speed you can type and just use your foot to move it forward while your hands are freed up to type. And it does it securely since it just works on your computer (and the text you type stays on your computer, not going to their website; all offline). If you can manage to set aside a chunk of time, you can get a 1 week free trial and type the two twenty minute video segments in that time (or, you can pay the $20/year).