ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses EFT couple assessment, which encompasses Steps 1 and 2 of the EFT process. An EFT assessment differs from other types of couple assessment. In EFT, the focus of the therapist is on gaining an understanding of clients’ emotional experience of their partner and of their relationship. As the intake session progresses, the therapist tracks and delineates the negative interactive cycle that traps and distances the couple. The therapist then labels the cycle, validates the associated negative feelings, and frames the couple’s distress in the context of this cycle. EFT therapists assume that therapy starts from the very beginning and that assessment is an ongoing process.
