Exam 3

Question 1

Who created EFCT?

Answer 1

Les Greenberg and Sue Johnson

Question 2

Theories that influenced the creation of EFCT

Answer 2

Experiential-we are formed and transformed by experiences with others

Gestalt- in the here and now

Family systems- focus on systemic interactions and patterns within systems

Constructivist- ongoing construction of present experiences

Attachment- theory of love

Question 3

Three primary goals of EFCT

Answer 3

• Access (hidden), expand, and reorganize key emotional responses
• Shift interactional positions/patterns
• foster interactional sequences that meet core attachment needs and create secure attachment bonds

Question 4

Primary emotions and how the communicate attachment needs

Answer 4

Anger= asserting, defending

Sadness= seeking support, withdrawing

Surprise/excitement: attending, exploring

Distrust.shame= hiding, expelling, avoiding

Fear= fleeing, freezing, giving up

Joy= connecting, engaging

Question 5

Four basic positions/patterns that an EFCT counselor might assess when working with a couple

Answer 5

Pursue/withdraw (most common: demanding spouse interacting with withdrawing distance pattern, Can be seen as demand-distance, criticize-stonewall or placate

Withdraw/withdraw: both parties reluctant to engage emotionally in conflict. Could be because pursuer is burnt out, or it can represent detachment and grieving

Attack/attack: indicator that withdrawer has turned, erupts into anger, and fights when provoked, withdrawer return to withdraw position after fight

Complex: usually occurs with trauma survivor couples where anxiety and avoidance are high

Question 6

Evocative Responding

Answer 6

Interventions

Questions or prompts to call up emotions into the conversation “what happens when you hear your wife say”

Question 7

Heightening

Answer 7

Intensifies a clients emotional experience creating a more vivid emotional engagement experience

“Can you say that again? Can you look at her and say that again?”

Intervention

Question 8

Reframing

Answer 8

Intervention

Finding the healthy need underneath the unhealthy behavior

“You freeze because you feel like you cant speak without hurting her’

Question 9

Empathetic conjecture

Answer 9

Clarify and formulate new meaning related to positions, patterns, and emotional experiences that a client does not yet know

Defensive strategies: need to self-protect from partner
“You hear her words and they say to you you’re feeling, so you pull away more and more”

Attachment longing: longing for comfort and connection
“The loneliness in unbearable so rather then asking for him to come close you attack”

Attachment fears and fantasies: fear that the person will be rejected by their partner or abandoned

“ you hear him saying he wants to be with you but this hasn’t happened before, its difficult to accept right now”

Question 10

Couples cycle (infinity symbol from a case study

Answer 10

Behavior

Perceptions/attributions

Secondary emotion

Primary emotion

Attachment needs

Question 11

9 EFCT and the goal of each step

Answer 11

1. alliance and assessment
2. Identify negative cycle and attachment cycle
3. Access underlying primary attachment emotions
4. Frame problem-cycle, attachment needs/fears
5. Access implicit primary needs, fears, sense of self
6. Promote acceptance by other- expand the dance
7. Restructure open and responsive emotional engagement
8. Enact new positions/cycles. Shape new stores of problems and repair
9. Support the couple to shape new solutions to old problems

Question 12

The three stages of EFT

Answer 12

Stage 1: De-escalation
Step 1-4

Stage 2: Changing interactional positions and creating new bonds
5-7

Stage 3: Consolidations
Steps 8 and 9

Question 13

Different concepts of the sound marital house and what they mean (gottman)

Answer 13

Build love maps

Share fondness and admiration

Turn towards instead of away

The positive perspective

Manage Conflict

Make life dreams come true

Create shared meaning

Question 14

Gottman, build love maps

Answer 14

Exercise used to measure the amount of cognitive room that their partner have for the relationship

Question 15

Gottman, share fondness and admiration

Answer 15

Reflects the amount of affection and respect partners feel for each other and are willing to express to one another

Question 16

Gottman, turn towards instead of away

Answer 16

Noticing a partner’s bid for attention and responding

Question 17

Gottman’s positive perspective

Answer 17

Giving partner benefit of the doubt, trusting they have the best will in mind, partners have enough positive affective experiences banked up for experiences to have positive sentiment override

Question 18

Manage Conflict

Answer 18

Two pronged approach:
Soft starts, in the first three minutes, gentle approach in presenting complaints, accepting influence, physiological soothing, and compromise

Meaning: find out the meaning behind the conflict

Question 19

Make life dreams come true

Answer 19

Honoring dreams of the individual partners to the extent it is possible

Question 20

Create shared meaning

Answer 20

Couple creates shared meaning by establishing formal and informal rituals of connection

Rituals: shared activities, daily routines to annual events

Goals: shoals and long term aspirations

Symbols: existential pondering around the fundamental questions, “what is the meaning of

Question 21

Gottman’s four horsemen

Answer 21

Criticism: attacking partner’s personality or character, usually with intent of making someone right or wrong

Defensiveness: seeing self as victim, warding off perceived attack

Contempt: attacking partners sense of self with the intention to insult or psychologically abuse him/her (shaming)

Stonewalling: withdrawing from the relationship as a way to avoid conflict