Based in attachment theory, emotionally focused therapy proposes that emotions are central to the experience of self and serve both adaptive and maladaptive functioning and are essential to therapeutic change. It is not emotions, but the individual's struggle to manage emotions that becomes problematic. Additionally, emotions are deeply connected to needs and aptly alert us to situations requiring action.

Techniques:

1. Expand the emotional experience - when the client makes an emotional statement (i.e. "I feel out of control!"), the therapist will respond by asking the client to stay with the feeling, asking what it is like for him/or her to be out of control, what it is like as he/or she speaks of it in the moment, how he/or she feels while speaking, how he/or she frames the experience, how he/or she protects the self, and finally validating the client's responses of his/or her experience and then directing the partner/family members to engage as indicated.

2. Reframing the problem - the problem is reframed into a cycle, so the players are no longer victims of the situation, but rather they are on the same side looking into the cycle.

3. Restructuring the bond - the client and therapist will identify attachment needs and facilitate a change in interactions based on the identified needs to stop old patterns and engage in healthy ways.