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Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy

Heal from within. Connect with yourself.

Sometimes the hardest part is not knowing what to do.

It is wondering why knowing still does not change how it feels.

You may know the coping skills. You may understand the logic. You may be functioning, caregiving, working, studying, or showing up for others, while still feeling anxious, shut down, emotionally reactive, numb, overwhelmed, disconnected, unsure of yourself, or uncertain about who you are and where you are going.

Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy, also known as EFIT, is an attachment-focused therapy approach developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. EFIT can help you understand how your lived experience, emotions, nervous system responses, protective patterns, and attachment experiences shape your sense of self, the way you relate to others, and how you navigate life's challenges.

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EFIT May Support You With

  • Anxiety, overthinking, panic, or fear of uncertainty

  • Depression, numbness, sadness, or emotional shutdown

  • Stress, burnout, overwhelm, or emotional exhaustion

  • Trauma, grief, loss, or difficult life experiences

  • Feeling stuck, blocked, or unable to move forward

  • Difficulty naming emotions, expressing needs, or trusting support

  • Shame, self-criticism, or feeling like your “too much” or “not good enough”

  • Identity questions or feeling disconnected from yourself

  • Relationship patterns that feel difficult to shift

  • Masking, people-pleasing, perfectionism, withdrawing, overfunctioning, or reacting quickly

  • Self-understanding and compassion while living with disability, neurodivergence, chronic illness, or chronic pain

EFIT

What EFIT Focuses On
EFIT is built on the understanding that emotions are not something to get rid of. They can offer important information about your needs, relationships, identity, and sense of self.

Rather than focusing only on symptom reduction, EFIT may include:

  • Exploring your lived experience and emotions with curiosity rather than judgment

  • Understanding how attachment and relational experiences shape the way you relate to yourself, others, and your identity

  • Recognizing protective patterns that developed for a reason and how they may continue to show up today

  • Supporting emotional regulation by making emotions easier to understand, experience, and respond to

  • Strengthening your sense of self, including your needs, limits, values, identity, fears, and longings

  • Exploring the emotional and relational impact of chronic illness, chronic pain, neurodivergence, disability, or medical conditions

  • Creating new emotional experiences that foster greater safety, flexibility, connection, and self-trust

How EFIT Is Different From Some Other Therapy Approaches

Some therapy approaches focus mainly on changing thoughts, behaviours, building coping strategies, or reducing symptoms.

Those tools can be helpful.

EFIT also goes underneath the surface to explore what organizes the symptoms in the first place.

For example:

  • Anxiety may not only be overthinking; it may be the brain’s way of finding predictability to create sense of control or safety

  • Depression may not only be low mood; it may be withdrawal after loss, overwhelm, or self-disconnection

  • Stress may not only be poor work-life balance; it may be the result of carrying too much for too long

  • Identity struggles may not only be confusion; they may reflect parts of the self that had to hide, adapt, or survive

  • Relationship patterns may not only be communication issues; they may involve deeper fears of rejection, abandonment, failure, or not being understood.

At The Core​​
EFIT is not about fixing who you are. It is about making sense of your emotions, protective patterns, and need for safety and connection with more compassion.

At its core, EFIT supports emotional regulation, self-understanding, meaningful connection, and a more grounded sense of self.

Written by Aerilyn Medina

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Sources:

  1. Wiebe, S. A., Johnson, S. M., Allan, R., Campbell, T. L., Greenman, P. S., Fairweather, D. R., Ismail, M., & Tasca, G. A. (2025). A randomized controlled trial of emotionally focused individual therapy (EFIT) for depression and anxiety. Psychotherapy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000586

  2. Greenman, P. S., & Johnson, S. M. (2022). Emotionally focused therapy: Attachment, connection, and health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 146–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.06.015

  3. Johnson, S. M., & Campbell, T. L. (2021). A primer for emotionally focused individual therapy (EFIT): Cultivating fitness and growth in every client. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003090748

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