Deliberate Practice in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy

Deliberate practice exercises provide trainees and students an opportunity to build competence in essential emotionally focused couple therapy (EFCT) skills while developing their own personal therapeutic style.

These exercises present role-playing scenarios in which two trainees act as a client and a clinician, switching back and forth under the guidance of a supervisor. The clinician improvises appropriate and authentic responses to client statements organized into three difficulty levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—that reflect common client questions and concerns.

Each of the first 12 exercises focuses on a single skill, such as offering evocative inquiries and reflections, deepening the client’s emotional experience of self and other, and choreographing interactions that promote positive emotional engagement. Two comprehensive exercises follow in which trainees integrate these essential skills into a single session.

Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty. Guidelines to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.