We Heart Therapy EP 89: Doing a Couples Intensive or Retreat with EFT Emotionally Focused Therapy - Featuring Jim Thomas
Mar 13, 2024
Jim Thomas, an EFT Trainer Emeritus with over 30 years in attachment-based therapy, joins Dr. Belle to illuminate the transformative power of couples intensives. They highlight how these focused sessions can deepen emotional bonds, helping couples confront underlying issues and enhance communication. The discussion delves into the importance of emotional safety, therapeutic leadership, and the benefits of immersive retreats, offering strategies for therapists to better support couples in crisis while emphasizing the need for follow-up to maintain progress.
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How One Desperate Call Started Intensives
- Jim Thomas describes a desperate caller who flew in for a few days and began deep work that changed his practice.
- That experience shifted Jim from weekly sessions to favoring concentrated intensives for deeper emotional work.
Intensives Need To Deliver Traction
- Intensives must offer more than concatenated weekly sessions; they should aim for profound movement and traction.
- Couples invest time and risk, so therapists should design intensives that prioritize deeper emotional change, not just repeated techniques.
Use The Container To Go Deep
- Use the intensive container to let couples go deeper without rushing back to daily life.
- Schedule multi-hour days so couples can reflect beforehand and therapists can linger in emotional work.
