Google Podcast Deep Dive on my Research

Exploring Emotional Strain in EFT Practice: Insights from My Research for other EFT Therapist

In my study, I explored how social workers who practice Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with couples dealing with infidelity experience, conceptualize, and cope with emotional strain in their professional practice. The goal was to better understand the emotional challenges faced by EFT practitioners, especially given the emotionally intense nature of this work.

I wanted to highlight a few key findings from the study, many of which were shaped by direct quotes from participants that I felt were too powerful to summarize without losing their meaning. The full details can be found on page 67 of the study, but here’s a quick overview:

1. EFT is Amazing! The EFT model and framework offer significant protection against Empathy-Based Strain (EBS), a concept I discuss in the study (see page 22 for a figure on EBS). The model provides a structured approach that helps clinicians manage emotional demands while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.

2. Empathy-Based Strain (EBS) is Real: Even though EFT offers strong protective benefits, practitioners still experience EBS. It often manifests as exhaustion and fatigue. For clinicians, this strain can lead to challenges in empathic engagement with clients, and it may even affect emotional connections with family and loved ones.

3. Preparation and Awareness are Key: There is a clear need for social workers to be prepared for and aware of the emotional strain in EFT practice. By proactively managing EBS, clinicians can prevent burnout and continue to provide high-quality care for their clients.

4. Coping and Managing Strain: The most effective coping strategies for EFT practitioners include trusting the EFT model, utilizing self-compassion mindfulness practices, and seeking support through EFT supervision and peer groups. Additionally, factors such as a heavy client load, back-to-back trauma cases, and working with couples that remain stuck in stage one of EFT for long periods can increase the risk of developing EBS.

For a more in-depth summary of these findings, I encourage you to listen to the podcast episode linked below. It provides additional context and personal insights from the study that I couldn’t fit into this post.

Listen to the full Google LM podcast 

 https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/393e2a13-452c-4c27-9502-ca4825a4a799/audio