Emotion-Focused Family Therapy Conference - Sept. 23-24, 2021

Emotion-Focused Family Therapy Conference Sept. 23-24, 2021

Join us for a two-day conference on September 23 and 24, 2021 on Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) for clinicians, case managers, and behavioral health specialists who work with parents and caregivers of children with eating disorders or other mental health challenges. This skills-based approach will enhance your practice by guiding parents to recognize emotions in their children and know what the child needs in order to move through their emotional experiences. They will also learn how to interrupt harmful behavioral symptoms. 

EFFT is an incredible resource for parents and caregivers of individuals struggling with an eating disorder, regardless of their age. The essence of this new approach is to afford families a significant role in their loved one’s recovery from an eating disorder, and to empower parents and caregivers with specific skills to be effective in this role.  The premise for the work is based in a deep belief in the healing power of families, with the knoweldge that parents and caregivers are the best resource for recovery – they just need some support, some skills and some coaching.

Registration includes four hours of consultative follow-up with Dr. Elizabeth Easton and other conference attendees on applying EFFT in practice. In addition to the conference for clinicians, AKEDA will provide a free full-day workshop on September 25 for family members to learn how to apply the skills of EFFT at home. Clinicians are encouraged to recommend that parents and other caregivers in their practice attend this workshop; clinicians are also welcome to attend.

Learn the EFFT Modality: Influenced by the theory and science of interpersonal neurobiology, the goal of Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) is to support caregivers to increase their role in their loved one’s recovery from mental health issues. The EFFT clinician believes that it is important to empower parents to help their children, regardless of age, given that they are “wired” together. Thus, a clinician's main responsibility is to support parents in becoming an active agent of healing. They do so by supporting parents and alternate caregivers to increase their involvement in: (1) interrupting symptoms and supporting health-focused behaviors, (2) helping their child to process overt and underlying emotions that may be fueling problematic thoughts and symptoms, and (3) leading the repair of relational injuries if applicable.

Throughout treatment, the EFFT clinician also seeks to transform “emotion blocks” in caregivers who struggle to implement interventions. Recent EFFT research has revealed that these caregivers are not unable or unmotivated to act as positive agents of change; rather, they are blocked by emotion, and in particular fear and self-blame. As such, the treating clinician employs specific EFFT techniques to attend to and process these emotion blocks in order to increase caregiver self-efficacy and recovery-focused support, and in a way that is respectful and compassionate. Such emotional blocks are also identified and processed in clinicians as they implement these interventions.

EFFT is a lifespan approach that can be delivered with entire families, parent-child dyads, and with parents only. In fact, one of the key strengths of the EFFT approach lies in the fact that clinicians can support caregivers to take on these roles regardless of their loved one’s age or involvement in formal treatment themselves, creating hope for those families whose child refuses service. EFFT can be integrated into existing treatment models and at various levels of care to empower both families and clinician teams.

EFFT was initially developed for caregivers of loved ones with eating disorders. Its application has since been extended for those struggling to support a loved one with a wide range of behavioral and emotional issues. This conference will focus on eating disorders and be applicable to other mental health challenges.

Presenter: Elizabeth Easton, Psy.D., CEDS

Dr. Elizabeth Easton is a Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Psychotherapy at Eating Recovery Center & Pathlight Behavioral Health (https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/clinical-leadership/elizabeth-easton). In collaboration with the organization’s Chief Clinical Officer, she consults on all psychotherapy services nationally for patients and caregivers.  Dr. Easton graduated with a Doctorate of Psychology from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.  She then trained specifically in the treatment of OCD, ADHD, mood and eating disorders at The Children’s Hospital of Colorado.  Over the last decade, Dr. Easton developed and oversaw two higher levels of care treatment centers in Denver, Colorado before moving into her current role.  Dr. Easton is a certified Advanced Psychotherapist & Supervisor in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS).  She is also a board member for the International Institute for EFFT.  As a clinician, leader, and educator, Dr. Easton has dedicated her career to the power of caregivers as the agents of change and healing for their loved ones.Join us for a 2-day training in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy. Rooted in a deep and unwavering belief in the healing power of parents and caregivers, the essence of EFFT is to afford them a significant role in their loved one’s mental health and well-being while also reducing the frequency of therapy-interfering behaviors. EFFT can also be integrated into existing treatment models for those clients and families who do not respond to standard care.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the systemic, neurobiological, and psychological  rationales for a larger and more comprehensive role for caregivers throughout the recovery process
• Teach emotion processing skills to caregivers for use in their support of their loved ones, specifically for some of the most challenging emotions
• Recognize the emotional processes underlying therapy-interfering behaviors in clients, caregivers, clinicians and treatment teams
• Discuss ways to support caregivers and clinicians to work through emotional blocks