Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Naples Florida | Danielle Sethi Therapy

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

The Leading Method Of Therapy For Relationships

What is Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy?

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a proven, judgment-free, evidence-based approach designed to heal and strengthen relationships. It’s especially effective for addressing emotional injuries like past betrayals, long-standing resentment, trauma, and unhealthy communication patterns.

Unlike traditional couples talk therapy that often gets stuck on discussing problems without resolution, EFT is experiential. This means you don’t just talk about issues—you actively explore and change the interaction patterns between you and your partner during sessions.

Instead of focusing on individual disagreements or negotiating compromises, an EFT therapist helps you notice what’s really happening beneath the surface. What triggers your reactions? What beliefs do you hold about yourself and your partner? How do your emotions shape your connection?

The key is that you already hold the answers—therapy helps you organize your pain, reconnect with each other, and build new emotional resources so you can find solutions that truly fit your unique relationship.

EFT isn’t about quick fixes or surface-level communication tools like “I” statements that might still leave you feeling unheard. It’s about getting deeply in touch with your own emotions and your partner’s, uncovering the root causes of conflict, and creating lasting change together.

Couples Therapy in Naples Florida

Research-Backing

Dr. Sue Johnson, the founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), combined several powerful models of human behavior to create this groundbreaking approach:

  • Attachment Theory: A deep developmental theory that explains how our personality and intimate relationships form.
  • Systems Theory: Recognizes that people’s behavior happens within the context of their environment and relationships—no one acts in isolation.
  • Non-judgmental Stance: Assumes everyone is doing the best they can. True change doesn’t come from shame or “shoulds.”

This blend creates a holistic and compassionate therapy approach focused on building safe, reliable connections in relationships.

Don’t just take my word for it: EFT has over 35 years of rigorous, peer-reviewed research backing it up. Studies show that EFT helps 70–75% of couples move from distress to recovery, with improvements seen in 90% of couples who seek this therapy.

How Does Emotionally Focused Therapy Work?

EFT helps couples identify and transform negative communication patterns that keep them stuck. Through this process, partners develop greater self-awareness and compassion for each other.

What makes EFT different? It’s not just about talking through the laundry list of problems. Instead, EFT therapists use deep knowledge of emotional and interaction patterns to guide each session intentionally. We look for patterns and themes and help set up chances to communicate in a different way.

This helps couples experience new ways of relating to each other in the safety of therapy, which then carries over into their daily lives.

As your EFT therapist, I balance giving each partner space to share while asking targeted questions to uncover the true roots of your distress.

I actively participate in sessions, leaning into your experience so I can truly understand the core of your pain, even if my life experiences are different. If we get off track, I’ll gently steer us back toward your goals. Relational therapy is a big commitment, and part of my role is to keep us focused and productive in service of your healing.

At the same time, I remain flexible and listen closely to your needs. I adapt our approach to ensure the process feels safe, respectful, and effective for you and your unique situation.

How EFT Can Transform Your Relationship

Emotionally Focused Therapy, whether in couples or individual sessions, can be a powerful choice if you:

  • Want to deepen your relationships
  • Need help managing difficult emotions and improving communication
  • Wish to build stronger self-confidence
  • Are committed to improving family or romantic connections

Healthy relationships are one of the strongest predictors of overall wellbeing and happiness. Working on these goals can support you in living a more connected, fulfilled life.

Whether you’re coming with a partner or on your own, EFT can guide you toward transformational healing, not only in your romantic relationships but also with family members and even yourself.

Why I Specialize in Emotionally Focused Therapy

I’m Danielle Sethi, Marriage and Family Therapist. I have completed extensive + advanced training in the EFT model because I full-heartedly believe its approach to change.

And of course, the search for sustained change and healing is typically what brings people to therapy.

Together we’ll uncover the underlying mechanisms of the problems you bring to sessions and work toward a fresh new chapter of connection.

Of course, in life there are always things that we cannot change— the stress from work, the exhaustion from caring for children, and the ever-complicated pressure to get along with in-laws.

However, I firmly believe that when you have a secure bond to rely on with your partner, together you can manage any of those stressors more smoothly than either of you could alone.

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Emotionally Focused Therapy Principles

In my training and work as an Emotionally Focused Therapist, a few core lessons continue to shape how I support clients:

  • All behavior has a purpose, even when it doesn’t make sense on the surface or feels completely irrational
  • We can’t change behavior unless we understand what need or fear it’s trying to protect
  • Shame doesn’t create change. Not toward ourselves, and not toward our partners.
  • Real change happens when insight is combined with new experiences, especially moments in therapy that allow you to feel safe enough to respond differently

We are wired for connection. We instinctively know how to care for the people who matter to us. But life teaches us to protect ourselves, sometimes in ways that push our partners away. These protective patterns once served a purpose, but they often no longer serve us in the present.

So if you’re seeking therapy because you’re struggling in your relationship, know this: There’s nothing wrong with you.

We simply need to understand what’s gotten in the way and begin creating new ways of relating that will serve you (and your relationship) for years to come.

What Issues Does EFT Help With?

I use the Emotionally Focused Therapy model to guide my work with clients looking for support with:

Emotionally Focused Therapy is a deeply attuned, highly specialized, research-backed approach that requires advanced training and presence from the therapist and full participation from you.

If you’re looking for therapy that moves beyond generic and surface-level advice and into the heart of what’s actually driving your patterns, you’re in the right place.

EFT requires deep clinical training and skill to guide couples through emotional reconnection and lasting change. This is intentional, expert-led work designed to strengthen your bond from the inside out.

More Questions About Emotionally Focused Therapy?

My job as an EFT therapist is to build understanding of and between both partners. I will help you understand what is happening and why it is happening.

The decisions you make about your life and relationship are yours. Yet, often clients find clarity around these questions when their emotions have been organized and processed in therapy.

Anyone who wants to learn more about themselves and improve their relationship!

Given the need for emotional safety in this work, I do not work with couples where any of the following are present:

  • Active affairs
  • Active substance misuse
  • Active physical, emotional, sexual abuse
  • Hospitalization for mental health of either partner in the past year
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (Villanova University)
  • Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (University of South Florida)
  • Advanced EFT Training (ICEEFT)

Read more about my background and approach to therapy here!

Please review frequently asked questions and information about up-to-date rates.

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy is a deeply researched and proven approach that helps partners identify and transform negative interaction patterns by accessing and healing core emotional experiences.

This model requires advanced clinical training to skillfully guide couples toward secure attachment and lasting connection. EFCT goes beyond surface-level conflict resolution to foster deep emotional bonding and trust, making it a powerful and transformative investment in your relationship’s future.

You may use this link to contact me. Please include a brief description of your situation and the treatment type you are looking for in your message.

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“Instead of looking for someone who is ‘perfect’, look for someone who is not scared of growing.”

Emotionally Focused Therapy Naples (Note: At this time, I am only seeing weekly clients virtually online).

2614 TAMIAMI TRAIL N, NAPLES, FL 34103