Couples Therapy
Reconnect with your partner through Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
From Conflict and Disconnection to Understanding and Security
At Bountiful Counseling, we specialize in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), one of the most researched and effective approaches to couples therapy. EFT helps couples move from conflict and disconnection to understanding, emotional connection, and secure attachment.
Whether you are caught in the same arguments over and over, feeling emotionally distant from your partner, or facing a specific crisis like infidelity, EFT can help you find your way back to each other. The goal is not just to stop fighting — it is to create the kind of deep, secure bond that allows both partners to thrive.
What is Emotionally Focused Therapy?
Emotionally Focused Therapy is based on attachment science — the understanding that humans are wired for connection and that our closest relationships are essential to our well-being. EFT helps couples understand the deeper emotions driving their conflicts.
Rather than focusing solely on communication skills or problem-solving, EFT helps partners reconnect emotionally and create a more secure bond. When couples feel emotionally safe with each other, the surface-level conflicts that once felt insurmountable begin to lose their power.
EFT has been extensively researched for over 35 years and has been shown to be effective for approximately 70-75% of couples, with 90% showing significant improvement. It is recognized as one of the most evidence-based approaches to couples therapy available today. Learn more about how EFT works and the research behind it.
How EFT Can Help Your Relationship
EFT is particularly effective for couples who:
Feel stuck in the same arguments
You have the same fight over and over, and it never seems to get resolved. EFT helps you see the pattern beneath the argument and address what is really going on.
Experience emotional distance or disconnection
You live together but feel like roommates. The emotional closeness you once had has faded, and you do not know how to get it back. EFT helps you rebuild that emotional bridge.
Struggle with trust or vulnerability
Opening up feels risky — maybe because of past hurt, betrayal, or simply never having learned how to be emotionally open. EFT creates a safe space to take those risks together.
Want to strengthen their relationship
You do not have to be in crisis to benefit from couples therapy. Many couples come in simply wanting to deepen their connection and build a more resilient partnership.
Are dealing with infidelity or betrayal
Betrayal is one of the most painful experiences a couple can face. EFT provides a structured path through the pain toward healing and, when possible, renewed trust.
Face life transitions together
Major changes — a new baby, a career shift, a move, or a faith transition — can put stress on even the strongest relationships. EFT helps you navigate these transitions as a team.
Our Training in EFT
Both Paul and Mara have completed EFT externship and core skills training and are working toward certification through ICEEFT (International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy).
Paul has been practicing EFT since December 2017 and brings his experience as a PhD-level clinician and researcher to his couples work. He integrates EFT with his understanding of attachment theory and relational dynamics.
Mara has been practicing EFT since November 2020, and couples therapy using the EFT approach is her primary clinical focus. With nearly two decades of clinical experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she brings deep empathy and skill to helping couples find their way back to each other.
What to Expect in Couples Therapy
In EFT couples therapy, you will learn to see and change the negative patterns that damage your connection. Here is what the process looks like:
Identify the negative cycle
Together, we will map out the pattern that keeps you stuck — the pursue-withdraw dance, the escalation cycle, or whatever form it takes in your relationship. Naming the cycle is the first step toward changing it.
Access deeper emotions
Beneath the anger and frustration are softer emotions — fear, hurt, loneliness, longing. EFT helps each partner access and express these deeper feelings in a way that invites connection rather than conflict.
Understand your partner's emotional needs
When you can hear what your partner is really saying — not the surface complaint, but the deeper need underneath — everything shifts. EFT helps both partners develop this understanding.
Respond with empathy and care
As partners learn to express their needs more openly, they also learn to respond to each other with greater empathy. These new responses begin to replace the old, reactive patterns.
Create new patterns of interaction
Over time, the new ways of connecting become natural. Instead of falling into the old cycle, you develop habits of turning toward each other — building a relationship that feels safe, secure, and deeply connected.
Build a more secure emotional bond
The ultimate goal of EFT is not just to resolve conflicts but to create a secure bond — the kind of relationship where both partners feel confident that they matter to each other and that they can count on each other when it counts.
Ready to Reconnect with Your Partner?
Book Your Free Consultation Call to learn how EFT can help your relationship
Book Your Free Consultation Call