Level 2 Training in Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT Consultation)

The Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy – Bulgaria is organizing continuing education in Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT Consultation)

EFFT Consultation, also known as “Mastering Skills and Overcoming Challenges in EFFT: A Consultation Process,” is a follow-up training in the field of Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT Essentials), which was held for the first time in Bulgaria in March 2026 with trainers Prof. Kyriaki Polychroni and Elena Krasteva.

What is EFT?

Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) expands on the principles of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to restore and strengthen family bonds. The main goal is to build secure family patterns in which attachment, care, and emotional connections function effectively. EFT focuses on stabilizing negative interaction patterns, restructuring parent-child interactions, and strengthening feelings of security through new patterns of connectedness. Based on attachment science, the approach leads families to rapid progress, with members becoming more responsive and engaged, recognizing and sharing previously unrecognized emotions and attachment needs, which stimulates individual development and improves parent-child relationships.

Who is the EFFT Consultation advanced level intended for?

This training is intended for psychologists, psychotherapists, counselors, and mental health professionals who work with children, parents, and families and have completed the EFFT Essentials training, regardless of the year or the trainer.

What You'll Learn in the EFFT Consultation

• How to create a sense of safety and structure in the EFT process by conceptualizing and organizing the ongoing therapeutic process.
• Ways to build and maintain a strong therapeutic alliance.
• Methods for identifying and recognizing key internal and family patterns that hinder care, connection, and progress in therapy.
• How a therapist uses key interventions to validate and then overcome relationship barriers.
• How to focus the therapist’s presence in order to encourage the parents’ and child’s engagement in the EFT process.
• A proven set of interventions you can rely on to help shift family behavior toward greater emotional balance, in support of parental responsiveness and children’s vulnerability.
• A deeper understanding of the core techniques in EFT and how to use EFT skills to overcome challenges during sessions and build the therapist’s confidence in guiding families toward greater resilience.
• A more nuanced understanding of the EFT Tango across the various stages of change in EFT.
• Key methods and interventions that will help your clients build secure attachments by supporting families in their journey toward sustainable development and in overcoming challenges throughout the various stages of life.
• Enhancing the therapist’s confidence and competence in facilitating the change process in EFT.

Instructors: Prof. Kyriaki Polychroni and Elena Krasteva

Prof. Kyriaki Polychroniis a psychologist, family and group therapist, couples therapist, lecturer, and supervisor of psychotherapists. She is a certified EFT trainer and supervisor. She is the honorary president ofthe European Family Therapy Association (EFTA). Member of the advisory and scientific team of the Anthropos Institute in Athens, one of the first centers in Europe to apply family therapy. Founding member of the Greek Association for Systemic Therapy. Co-publisher of the European scientific journal Human Systems: The Journal of Therapy, Consultation and Training. Trains and supervises professionals in Emotionally Focused Therapy and Systemic Family and Group Therapy. Teaches and conducts workshops in Greece and many other countries in Europe and around the world. Founder and coordinator ofthe EFT Greek Network, she conducted the first training in Emotionally Focused Therapy in Bulgaria in 2015, and in the following years continued to train and supervise colleagues in the method.

Elena Krasteva isa co-founder of the Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy – Bulgaria. She is a certified trainer, supervisor, and therapist in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) withICEEFT. A psychologist and systemic family psychotherapist, she specializes in family and couples therapy and has many years of experience in the field. She works with couples and families and practices group and individual psychotherapy. She is listed in the Register of Psychotherapists of the Bulgarian Association for Psychotherapy (BAP) and is a member of the Bulgarian Association for Family Therapy (BAFT). 

When: November 21–22, 2026

Къде: Rosslyn Central Park Hotel Sofia, бул. „Витоша“ 106, зала „Тракия“

Fee: 300 euros

Email for registration and contact:events@eftherapy.bg

Suggested Reading: Emotionally Focused Family Therapy: Restoring Connection and Promoting Resilience. (2019) Furrow, J. L., Palmer, G., Johnson, S. M., Faller, G., & Palmer-Olsen, L.Routledge.