Certification
To be certified as an EFT therapist by the International Society of Emotion-Focused Therapy (ISEFT) you need to fulfill the following criteria:
Level Α: Completion of Basic EFT Training
1. Participants should have a minimum prior training: Must have a professional training in some form of therapy and be an accredited practitioner. If not humanistic-experiential therapy (eg person-centered, focusing-oriented, gestalt), recommend additional empathy and person centered training. It is recommended that for therapists who have no prior training in humanistic-experiential therapies, a module focused on empathic tracking, listening, and responding be included in the training.
2. Basic didactic/experiential workshop training (=Levels 1 & 2): Minimum 8 days (but can be longer), run by certified or approved EFT trainers, covering at least:
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Empathy/relational skills
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Emotion theory, emotion change principles and emotional deepening
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Basic markers/tasks: focusing/clearing a space, unfolding, two chair (conflict and self-interruption splits, self-soothing), empty chair
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EFT case formulation
3. Initial Supervisory Experience:
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(a) At least 3 days group supervision (with presentation of at least one client for 1 hour); or
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(b) five hours of individual supervision of own work with at least 2 clients,
Must be signed off on by their approved EFT supervisor on the basis of actually doing EFT to at least minimal degree and not some other therapy: Global evaluation of criteria 1 – 4 (see Level C, Therapist qualification) at a basic level based on performance in supervision.
Level Β: Completion of EFT Supervised Practice
Completing Supervised Practice does not guarantee competence.
1. Completion of Basic EFT Training [Level A]
2. Direct Personal Supervision of own work (review of recordings of sessions): minimum 16 hrs, with at least 2 clients, in group or individual format
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Must be by approved EFT supervisor. (If group supervision, Count only amount of personal supervision of own work within group supervision.)
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Must be signed off by their approved EFT supervisor at a moderate level of skill on the basis of actually doing EFT to at least moderate degree and not some other therapy: Global evaluation of criteria 1 – 5 at a moderate level.
3. Recommended Practice: See at least two individual clients for a total of at least 60 sessions of EFT including empathy, deepening, tasks, and case formulation.
Level C: Certified EFT Therapist
1. EFT Level B: Completion of EFT Supervised Practice
2. Evaluation of EFT Therapist Skills
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Each training programme will decide if it wishes to certify therapists, which would be a level between Completion of EFT Supervision and Certified EFT Supervisor.
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Certification attests to the fact that a therapist’s practice has been evaluated and judged to be competent by an EFT supervisor
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Trainees who have completed this certification process will be listed on the training programme website and in the isEFT website as Certified EFT Therapist
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Evaluation of EFT skills is based on demonstration in at least:
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(a) Two videotaped sessions (involving two different clients) with competent active task work in them (Translate/transcribe where necessary)
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(b) Brief case description, including a competent case formulation
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(c) One certified EFT supervisor listens to and rates for competence on the EFT Therapist Evaluation Form
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EFT Therapist Evaluation Form Items
Demonstration of EFT Skills in:
Empathy
Marker identification
Emotional deepening
Appropriate use of EFT tasks, such as focusing, reprocessing, enactment/active expression work, alliance/interpersonal/relational work
Ability to think about clients in EFT terms (case formulation, process identification, marker identification, use of experiential formulation responses)
The Institute is recognized by the International Society of Emotion Focused Therapy
(ISEFT)
