EFCT Certification

Outline of basic requirements

• An ICEEFT-endorsed EFT Externship led by a Certified EFT Trainer: 24 hours over 4 days.
• Core Skills Training led by a Certified EFT Trainer, 24 or 48 hours.
• Supervision (min. of 8 hours) by a Certified ICEEFT Trainer, EFCT Supervisor, or approved EFCT Supervisor Candidate, which can include 4 hours of group supervision. (There is no limit on the group size.) Individual supervision may be with two people. Supervision can be face-to-face or long distance. ICEEFT requires that every effort be made to protect the confidentiality of the client. ICEEFT is not responsible for supervisors’ actions in this regard.
• Required reading: The Practice of Emotionally Focused Therapy: Creating Connection (3^rd edition, 2020) by Susan M. Johnson
• Current clinical therapy practice (must include some couples).
• Licensed or registered to practice psychotherapy in the state/province/region in which the applicant resides.
• Proof of malpractice insurance.
• Membership in ICEEFT.
• Therapy Excerpts: Applicants are asked to provide a minimum of two therapy excerpts. The emphasis for certification is the therapist’s use of the EFT Tango to process emotion and create bonding conversations. Therapists need to show competence in relational dyads to receive EFCT Certification. Each excerpt is to be a total of 20 minutes. If you want the reviewer to review certain segments of the same session, please submit the entire session and indicate the minute times of the excerpts to be reviewed. Excerpts are to be video sessions. Zoom sessions are acceptable. Audio sessions are not acceptable. A case conceptualization for each couple in the video excerpt(s) is to be submitted and should include a summary of presenting problem(s), attachment history, cycle, case progress to date, and therapist self reflections – see below for further information. A video release form is also required for each excerpt. The whole session is to be submitted, with excerpt to be reviewed start and stop times to be indicated on transcripts. For more information on the video submission guidelines, please refer to EFCT Certification Video Guidelines

Application Procedure to become a Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist

Please review the  Certification Application Requirement

s Checklist prior to submitting your application.

Payment Process

The fee for review and administration is $600.00* CAD. ICEEFT provides discounts for members in countries with low per capita Gross National Income. If an applicant is from a country outside of North America and their country’s gross national revenue is below the North American standard. The following sliding fee scale applies for the ICEEFT Therapist Certification process and is based on the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, Atlas method, of the world’s countries:

1. Applicants for ICEEFT certification from countries whose GNI is $30,000 or more will pay the standard application fee of $600.
2. Applicants from countries whose GNI is between $20,000 and $30,000 will pay 2/3 of the standard application fee, or $400.
3. Applicants from countries whose GNI is less than $20,000 will pay 1/3 of the standard application fee, or $200.

Please note that applicants from minority groups who face systemic barriers (or primarily serve clients who do) and have financial challenges can apply to have a portion of their certification fee waived. To apply for a fee waiver, applicants can fill out a request form here.

Certification Process

• Supervisor provides supervision to therapist focusing on a specific modality attending to certification guidelines (Minimum 8 hours)
• Supervisor reviews and approves two video examples demonstrating EFT macro and micro skills in specific modality
• Supervisor and therapist select one video example for trainer review
• Therapist submits one video and case conceptualization to ICEEFT on Hightail noting the trainer who has agreed to be invited to review
• ICEEFT invites trainer through Hightail
• Trainer provides feedback to supervisor
• Supervisor and therapist reviews trainer feedback
• Supervisor reviews therapist certification documentation and completes certification checklist and signs
• Supervisor sends certification documentation and signed checklist/recommendation to certification@iceeft.com
• ICEEFT reviews documentation, issues certificate and updates therapist status

To upload to Hightail, please click on the above button and follow the easy instructions!

** Please note that all application materials will be deleted immediately after being reviewed by ICEEFT.

Becoming an EFCT Supervisor

Outline of basic requirements 

• Certification by ICEEFT as an EFCT Therapist for one year (exceptions may be made for regions outside North America).
• 10 hours of mentorship between two Certified EFT Supervisors / Trainers.
• Completion of a course on supervision for counselling / psychotherapy.  If not available in your area, options can be discussed with an ICEEFT representative.
• Four years of clinical experience with individuals, couples and/or families.
• Supervision of a minimum of three trainee EFT Therapists.
• Submission of a written description of your experience in supervision:
  a) How many people you have supervised;
  b) Number of cases you have supervised;
  c) A written description (approximately 1000 words) of how you believe your supervision fits with EFT principles of supervision. Give specific examples to support this perspective.
• Submission of two 30-minute videos via Hightail , demonstrating supervision of two different therapists. These recordings need to be of individual supervision (which could involve two therapists) and not voice-over supervision recordings. One of the video recordings submitted needs to include Supervisor and Therapist review of recorded session material. Recordings from group supervision can be submitted, but the recording needs to be focused on one therapist and their work and it needs to be clear that the supervisor is giving them one-on-one attention.
• Submission of two reference letters from mentors of supervision.
• An annual Supervisor fee of $100 is payable to ICEEFT annually. The fee is waived for Supervisors during their first calendar year, i.e., until Dec. 31st of the year the Supervisor is first certified.

Application Procedure to become an EFCT Supervisor:

EFT Supervisor Certification Discount for those facing Systemic Barriers:

Applicants from minority groups who face systemic barriers (or primarily serve clients who do) and have financial challenges can have a portion of their certification fee waived. To apply for a fee waiver, applicants can fill out a request form here.

EFT Supervisor Certification Discount for those in countries with low per capita Gross National Income:

Supervisor applicants from countries with per capita GNI less than 5,000 USD are eligible for a reduced supervisor application fee rate. To apply for a fee waiver, applicants can fill out a request form here.

The Key Principles of EFT Clinical Supervision are:

• A positive working alliance between the supervisor and supervisee is fostered because safety enhances learning.
• Modelling is available: the supervisor actively demonstrates EFT interventions (e.g., demonstrates attachment language and non-verbal behaviours of EFT).
• Observation of therapy sessions occurs or transcripts are examined. Role plays with feedback give an opportunity for rehearsal.
• Feedback to the supervisee is clear, focused, supportive, and congruent with the supervisee’s stage of learning.
• Specific elements are pointed out for the supervisee to improve or work on.
• Written theory and techniques of the EFT model are referred to and taught in relation to practice (e.g., steps, stages, interventions, experiential and non-pathologizing approach).

These principles were formulated with the help of Lisa Palmer-Olsen and the work of Dr. Eugene Mead.

Guidelines for EFT Supervisor Certification

The 2 main considerations in reviewing supervision videos are:

1. How is the relationship between supervisor and supervisee characterized in terms of safety, collaboration, transparency, genuineness and is there a strong working alliance?
2.  Does the supervisor focus on EFT—the Stage of EFT and the Moves of the Tango that the therapist is doing, helping with case conceptualizing, developing experiential skills, and helping with future planning, etc.?

Specific considerations are:

• Is the focus on the client(s) and learning the EFT model, in particular?
• Is the focus on the self of the therapist, if necessary, and is this focus within the boundary of supervision, not therapy?
• Is there use of video clips from recorded sessions?
• Is there use of role play?
• Does the Supervisor model, discuss, and name interventions, including the use of the moves of the EFT Tango?
• Does the Supervisor recommend any reading and/or the use of EFT training videos to help supervisee?
• Does the Supervisor tune into the learning needs of the supervisee? Is the supervision paced to the supervisee’s developmental level?
• Does the Supervisor specify strengths and weaknesses of the supervisee?
• Does the Supervisor specifically help with accessing and integrating emotion and with shaping enactments using the moves of the EFT Tango?

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