Emotionally Focused Therapy: the approach at the heart of our practice.
EFT is a research-supported method grounded in attachment science. It helps couples, individuals, and families understand the emotions underneath their hardest moments and respond to each other in ways that build security instead of distance. Our founder, Risper Wangari, is a Certified EFT Therapist, and our clinicians receive ongoing EFT training and consultation.
"I confidently recommend working with Risper, and regularly refer couples to her practice. The feedback from clients I have sent her way is consistently wonderful."
Google ReviewA map for the moments that keep going wrong.
Emotionally Focused Therapy was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Sue Johnson and Dr. Les Greenberg, and it has since become one of the most extensively researched approaches to couples therapy. It rests on a simple idea from attachment science: people are wired to need a secure bond with the people closest to them, and most relationship distress is what happens when that bond feels threatened.
EFT gives you and your therapist a shared map of what is happening between you, so the work goes to the source instead of the symptoms.
- ✓ Grounded in attachment science, the same research that explains how children bond with parents and how adults bond with partners
- ✓ Treats emotion as information about what you need, and helps you use it
- ✓ Targets the pattern between you, so both partners get to be on the same side
- ✓ Experiential, which means change happens in the conversations you have in session, with your therapist guiding them
- ✓ Supported by decades of outcome research, with studies showing meaningful improvements that can be maintained over time
Our therapists bring EFT to the room with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment. They help you notice what your body is telling you in the hard moments, build a vocabulary for emotions you may never have had words for, and get to the root of what is happening instead of managing the symptoms. Beneath many defensive reactions is a more vulnerable place where attachment needs live, and that is often where the work happens.
Hear Dr. Sue Johnson explain it herself.
Dr. Johnson developed Emotionally Focused Therapy and spent four decades researching it. In this short video she describes what EFT is and why it works.
"What is Emotionally Focused Therapy (or EFT)?" · Dr. Sue Johnson · YouTube
The fight is rarely about what it looks like it is about.
When connection with the person you depend on most feels threatened, your nervous system can shift into protection mode. You may fight for connection, pull away, shut down, or become defensive. Underneath most recurring arguments is the same question: Are you there for me? When one partner reaches for reassurance by pushing, criticizing, or demanding, and the other protects themselves by going quiet, pulling away, or getting defensive, the two reactions feed each other. EFT calls that loop the negative cycle, and it treats the cycle, rather than either partner, as the problem to solve.
EFT moves through three stages. Early sessions help you both see the cycle and step out of it. The middle stage focuses on creating new emotional experiences between partners: each person learns to reach from the softer place underneath and respond differently when their partner does the same. The final stage helps consolidate the new patterns so you can bring them into future challenges and everyday life.
Figures reported in published Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy outcome research. Individual results vary.
EFT starts with attachment. So does this quiz.
Your attachment style shapes how you reach for your partner under stress, and how you protect yourself when it feels like they are not there. Our short quiz helps you see your pattern, and what your partner may be reaching for underneath theirs. About five minutes.
One approach. Three ways we use it.
EFT began as a couples model and grew into a framework for individuals and families. Here is what each looks like at The Love Seat.
EFT for couples
The core of our practice. For couples caught in the same fight, drifting into distance, rebuilding after an affair, preparing for marriage, or working on intimacy. Sessions help you see your cycle, reach for each other differently, and strengthen new ways of connecting.
Couples therapy →EFT for individuals
For anxiety, depression, trauma, loss, or the sense that the same thing keeps happening in every relationship. Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) helps you understand your own attachment story and relate to yourself and others with more security.
Individual counseling →EFT for families
For parents and children, including adult children, who keep missing each other. Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) helps family members understand what is happening underneath the conflict and work toward greater emotional safety and connection.
Family counseling →EFT is the foundation of every couples service we offer: couples therapy, affair recovery, premarital counseling, sex therapy, and couples intensives.
Tell us a little, and we will reach out.
Prefer not to book online yet? Leave your details and our intake coordinator will call or text you within one business day to answer your questions and help you find the right therapist.
- A brief, no-pressure conversation
- Help deciding between couples, individual, or family work
- Matched with an EFT-trained therapist who fits you
- No commitment. We will treat the information you share with care and privacy.
Thank you.
We will be in touch within one business day.
Need us sooner? Call or text (972) 430-6765.
EFT that fits your life and your pace.
Most people start with weekly sessions. Some want more time per visit or prefer a more concentrated format. Your therapist will help you choose.
Weekly Sessions
Steady, ongoing work that fits around your week. The format many people begin with, allowing time to practice new patterns between sessions.
Extended Sessions
A longer block in place of a weekly appointment, for couples who find that an hour ends right as the real conversation starts.
Couples Intensives
Concentrated work over one to three days. For couples who want more concentrated time together, couples traveling from out of town, or couples who find weekly sessions hard to schedule.
From first call to first session.
We have made the process simple because deciding to reach out is the hard part.
Book Your First Session
Ready to get started? Schedule your intake appointment online or directly with one of our therapists through their booking links below. Your first session (60 minutes) is where we get to know your story, your goals, and what you need.
Book Online →Not Sure Which Therapist? Take Our Therapist Matching Quiz
Complete our quick online matching quiz and get a personalized recommendation. It takes just a few minutes and you can do it anytime, from anywhere.
Take the Quiz →Want to Talk First? Book a Free Consultation
Not quite ready to commit? Schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation or call us at (972) 430-6765. We will listen, answer your questions, and help you decide on next steps. No pressure.
Schedule a Consultation →First session $175 to $250 · Ongoing sessions $155 to $240 · See all rates
Therapists trained in EFT, at both offices and online.
Risper Wangari, our founder, is a Certified EFT Therapist through ICEEFT, the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, and EFT training and consultation are ongoing parts of our clinical development as a team. Risper, Carla James, and Crys Wood offer couples intensives, while clinicians across the team provide ongoing weekly therapy. For couples where trauma is part of the picture, Callie also brings EMDR.
Risper Wangari
Emotionally Focused Therapy, couples intensives, affair recovery, clinical leadership and EFT training for the team
Learn More Inquire With Risper
Elizabeth Wilson
Couples therapy, affair & betrayal recovery, Christian counseling, infertility & relationship stress
Learn More Schedule With Elizabeth
Laurel Darowski
Couples therapy, EFT, communication & conflict, trust repair, neurodiverse couples, life transitions
Learn More Schedule With Laurel
Sam Goldenberg
Couples therapy, betrayal recovery, relationship transitions, postpartum, EFT & Gottman
Learn More Schedule With Sam
Devin Johnson
Couples therapy, relationship repair & trust building, attachment wounds, trauma, men's emotional wellness
Learn More Schedule With Devin
Daneshia Moten
Couples counseling, betrayal recovery, attachment wounds, trauma, grief, faith-based counseling
Learn More Schedule With Daneshia
CheVaughn Johnson
Couples therapy, communication & conflict, blended families, infidelity recovery, Christian counseling, military families
Learn More Schedule With CheVaughn
Callie Hall
Couples therapy, trauma & EMDR, attachment patterns, emotional intimacy, faith-integrated counseling
Learn More Schedule With Callie
Crys Wood
Couples therapy, affair recovery, attachment injury, sexual intimacy, trauma, EFT
Learn More Schedule With Crys
John Pecina
Couples therapy, premarital counseling, EFT, communication & conflict, Navy veteran
Learn More Schedule With John
Carla James
Couples intensives, intimacy & sexual connection, affair recovery, discernment counseling, Gottman Method, EFT
Learn More Inquire With CarlaWondering which of them is the right fit? Our matching quiz will tell you in about two minutes.
Trusted by clients, and by the professionals who refer them.
"Couples who are ready to do hard work for their relationship and want to see results are in the safest place working with Crys. She is clear in her process, kind but direct in her approach, and dedicated to offering the highest quality of care. She is someone I would pick over and over to send couples to."
"If you are looking for support at Love Seat Counseling, you absolutely need to request CheVaughn. Even in the most demanding environments, she had an incredible ability to make anyone she worked with feel instantly comfortable. Those are the exact qualities you want in someone guiding you through the complexities of a relationship."
"Devin brings a calm and thoughtful presence into his work with clients. He has a natural ability to help people feel comfortable opening up while also providing meaningful insight and support. His approach is compassionate, relational, and focused on helping individuals and couples navigate challenges in a healthy and productive way."
"I confidently recommend working with Risper, and regularly refer couples to her practice. Her excellent skills as a therapist, partnered with her warm and understanding presence, set her apart. The feedback from clients I have sent her way is consistently wonderful."
What people ask about EFT.
More on EFT from our therapists.
Emotionally Focused Therapy: Could It Help Your Relationship?
A plain-language look at what EFT is and who it is for.
Read the post →Why Couples Get Stuck: How Trauma Shows Up in Relationships and How EFT Helps
How trauma shows up in relationships, and how EFT helps.
Read the post →What Your Avoidant Partner Actually Needs to Feel Close
Why pulling away is often a bid for safety, and how to respond.
Read the post →Why Intimacy Fades After Infidelity (And How Couples Get It Back)
Rebuilding closeness after trust is broken.
Read the post →Two offices. One mission.
EFT for couples, individuals, and families in person at our Fort Worth Alliance and North Richland Hills offices, convenient to Keller, Southlake, Colleyville, and Haslet, with telehealth anywhere in Texas.
Fort Worth Alliance Office
Fort Worth, TX 76177
North Richland Hills Office
North Richland Hills, TX 76182
The pattern can change. So can the way you reach each other.
Most couples wait years before they ask for help. A free consultation is a small, low-pressure first step: an honest conversation about where you are and how EFT can help. Prefer we reach out? Leave your details and we will.
First session $175 to $250 · Ongoing sessions $155 to $240