Accepting New Clients (updated Nov 4)

Seattle Emotionally-Focused Therapy for Individuals and Couples

At Anchor Light Therapy Collective, we are committed to helping couples and individuals strengthen their emotional bonds through Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT). EFT offers a powerful way to understand and transform the emotional patterns that hinder connection, allowing partners to rediscover what brought them together in the first place. Whether you’re working on relationship challenges or personal growth, an EFT therapist can help heal emotional disconnections and foster a more secure, resilient bond.

Our compassionate approach to EFT Therapy emphasizes the potential for growth, healing, and deeper emotional connection. We support you through empathy and expert guidance on this transformative journey, helping you build the emotional security needed for lasting, meaningful relationships. Schedule a free consultation today!

Deepen your emotional understanding with our virtual EFT therapy

At Anchor Light Therapy Collective, we understand that life’s demands can make it hard to prioritize in-person therapy. To provide more accessible care, we offer online therapy for those looking to improve their emotional well-being without disrupting their routine.

Our online therapy sessions are designed to provide the same level of support and personalized care as in-person visits. Using a secure video platform, you can connect with your therapist from anywhere, whether at home, work, or even traveling.

What is emotionally focused therapy (EFT)?

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a structured, evidence-based approach designed to help individuals and couples strengthen their emotional connections. Developed by Sue Johnson based on attachment theory, EFT focuses on how emotions and emotional responses shape how we interact with the people closest to us. EFT individual therapy and couples transform distressing relational patterns into positive, nurturing connections by addressing the core emotions driving our behaviors.

At its core, EFT helps you gain insight into how emotions drive your interactions, leading to greater emotional understanding, improved communication, and ultimately, stronger, more fulfilling relationships. Our Seattle EFT Therapy sessions are tailored to meet your unique needs, ensuring that you’ll receive compassionate, expert support from a licensed family therapist with a deep understanding of internal family systems, whether you’re looking for help as an individual or as part of a couple.

EMDR Therapy Seattle

Seattle clients might benefit from EFT therapy if…

Whether you’re struggling as a couple or facing personal emotional challenges, EFT offers a way forward by addressing the root causes of emotional distress. Let’s explore some specific issues where EFT therapy in Seattle can provide transformative results:

  • Anger – Often, anger is a secondary emotion, masking deeper fears or feelings of inadequacy. Through EFT, you and your partner can explore the underlying emotions and sources of anger, learn to express vulnerability and replace defensive reactions and secondary emotions with understanding and compassion.

  • Fear – Especially fear of abandonment or disconnection can undermine trust and create distance in relationships. EFT addresses these attachment-related fears by creating emotional safety and helping couples express their need for reassurance and closeness.

  • Grief – Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a life stage, or even an aspect of the relationship, grief can profoundly affect how partners connect. EFT provides a space for couples to process grief together, allowing each person to understand and empathize with the other’s emotional experience.

  • Breakdown of Trust – When trust is broken, it can feel like the relationship is irreparable. By addressing the emotional pain and rebuilding trust through new, supportive interactions, couples can heal from past wounds and re-establish a stronger emotional connection.

  • Loss of Intimacy – EFT identifies the emotional barriers that lead to the loss of intimacy, helping couples reconnect on an emotional level. As emotional security is rebuilt, couples often find that emotional and physical closeness naturally follows.

  • Fear of Disconnection – EFT allows couples to express their longing for meaningful connection and to understand each other’s emotional needs. Through guided emotional exploration, couples can break free from negative cycles, address underlying fears, and rediscover a sense of closeness and security in their relationship.

How can EFT support individuals?

While Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is often associated with couples, it is also an effective tool for individual therapy. For those who are not currently in a relationship, it provides the tools to build emotional strength and prepare for healthier relationships in the future. EFIT adapts the core principles of EFT to help individuals explore and transform their emotional patterns, providing a pathway for healing personal wounds, improving emotional regulation, and developing healthier ways of relating to others.

In individual therapy, EFIT focuses on understanding how attachment patterns and past experiences shape your emotional responses, whether you are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or difficulty forming meaningful relationships. By addressing emotions in a supportive and non-judgmental space, you can develop greater self-compassion and emotional resilience, especially for those who have experienced childhood trauma, loss, or betrayal.

Whether you’re seeking to address personal struggles or improve your relationships, EFIT therapy in Seattle can help you navigate the emotional challenges holding you back and support you in building a more fulfilling, connected life.

couple in therapy
EMDR Therapy Seattle

What our Seattle clients can expect from emotion-focused therapy

In Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) sessions at Anchor Light Therapy Collective, we create a supportive and compassionate environment where you and your partner (or you individually) can explore your emotions and relationship dynamics. Each session with your couples therapist is structured to address your and your partner’s specific needs, but the core principles remain consistent.

1. Building a safe space

The first step in EFT is creating a secure and non-judgmental environment where you and your partner can share your emotions openly. Our therapists ensure both partners feel heard and validated, fostering a sense of safety that allows for emotional exploration.

2. Understanding relationship patterns

Next, we identify cycles of emotional responses that perpetuate disconnection, leading to conflict or distance in your relationship. By recognizing these dynamics, you and your partner can begin to understand why certain behaviors or interactions trigger emotional reactions.

3. Exploring deeper emotions

EFT focuses on identifying and expressing the deeper emotions often hidden beneath the surface, including fear, sadness, or a longing for connection that drives negative behaviors. By uncovering these core emotions, you and your partner can better understand each other’s needs.

4. Sharing and understanding feelings

Once these deeper emotions are identified, EFT helps you express them in a way that allows partners to understand each other’s perspectives. The goal is to create a safe space for both partners to share their emotional experiences and validate each other’s feelings.

5. Creating new ways to connect

With greater emotional understanding comes the opportunity to create new, healthier ways of interacting. In EFT, we develop positive emotional exchanges that replace negative patterns and develop relationship satisfaction.

6. Strengthening your bond

EFT is about transforming negative cycles into positive emotional experiences. As you and your partner practice these new emotional responses, you will deepen your connection and build a more secure relationship.

7. Tailoring the therapy to you and your relationship

Each EFT session is tailored to the needs of you and your partner. Whether you’re seeking to heal a specific issue or improve your overall emotional connection, your emotionally focused therapist will adjust to ensure your sessions address individual and relational goals.

8. Fostering understanding and empathy

A key aspect of EFT is the development of empathy between partners. You become more responsive and supportive as you gain a deeper understanding of each other’s emotional experiences. This empathy strengthens your emotional bond and enhances your ability to navigate future challenges together.

What is the difference between EFT couples therapy and the Gottman Method couples therapy?

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and the Gottman Method are both evidence-based approaches to improving relationships, but they focus on different aspects. EFT centers on the emotional bond between partners, helping couples understand and address their deeper emotional needs to create secure attachments. The Gottman Method emphasizes practical relationship skills like communication and conflict resolution, focusing on preventing common negative behaviors that lead to breakdowns, such as criticism and defensiveness.

Emotionally-focused couples therapy explores and express their emotions to build emotional security, while the Gottman Method provides structured techniques for managing conflict and fostering long-term stability. Both approaches are grounded in scientific research. EFT draws from attachment research and theory, while the Gottman Method is based on over 40 years of relationship studies. EFT is an ideal from of relationship counseling for those looking to heal emotional disconnection or attachment issues, whereas the Gottman Method is suited for couples wanting to improve day-to-day communication and conflict management.

Seattle EFT therapy pricing

At Anchor Light Therapy Collective, we understand that therapy is an investment of both time and finances. We strive to make the process as transparent as possible so you can focus on your healing journey without surprises.

  • Standard Individual Session (50 minutes): $190
  • Standard Couples Session (50 minutes): $190

We encourage you to think of therapy as a space where you can experience meaningful healing and progress, improving your emotional well-being and relationships.

Insurance

We do not participate with any insurance panels. Anchor Light Therapy Collective is considered an out-of-network provider.

As a courtesy to any individual clients who wish to utilize their insurance benefits, We are happy to verify your out-of-network plan benefits to tell you what portion, if any, may be covered by your health insurance provider.

Out of Network Insurance Options