what is eft supervision?
EFT supervision involves working with an ICEEFT certified EFT supervisor or an ICEEFT approved supervisor-in-training to strengthen your understanding and practice of the EFT model. By watching your recorded sessions with you, and hearing your description/understanding of your cases, your supervisor will help you identify your strengths and natural gifts, as well as the areas in which you need support. Most importantly, your EFT supervisor will come alongside you to offer encouragement and care as you learn this amazing but challenging model. We should not be on this journey alone! EFT supervision follows the ACES model to focus on and offer support in 4 main areas:
Alliance
The alliance between supervisor and supervisee (we can only learn if we feel safe!).
Conceptual
Your conceptual understanding of the EFT model (e.g. steps and stages of EFT, the EFT tango, tracking the negative cycle, holding the attachment frame).
Experiential
Your ability to “feel” the concepts of the EFT model and apply it in an experiential way (e.g., attunement, using RISSSSC, using your own emotional reactions to guide your interventions, your ability to evoke emotion).
Self-of-the-therapist
The human parts of you that can get triggered in session and can interrupt your ability to attune or stay focused on the EFT model.
What does an hour of EFT supervision look like?
Touch base about how you are doing (as therapist and human)
Collaboratively choose an area of focus
Review of video recorded session
Discussion and role-plays
Set a goal
What does a safe supervisor do?
Welcome all parts of you
Ask for regular feedback
Will help you grow without shaming
Will point out, highlight, and celebrate your strengths and successes
Will actively address ruptures and invite repair
Why is it important that my supervisor is certified by ICEEFT?
ICEEFT certified supervisors (and supervisors-in-training) undergo a rigorous process of training and evaluation in order to ensure their knowledge of the EFT model and their ability to support supervisees using the ACES model of supervision.
The ACES model of EFT supervision is research based (Palmer-Olsen, Gold, and Woolley, 2011) and is considered the best model for EFT supervision.
When is the best time to start EFT supervision?
As soon as you’ve completed the externship, are seeing couples and recording your work, you are ready for supervision!
Some therapists, such as those who received EFT training in graduate school, have had enough exposure to EFT to benefit from EFT supervision prior to taking the externship.
A great time to start EFT supervision is following core-skills, since by then, you have been exposed to the main concepts of the EFT model and have had experience video-recording your sessions (a requirement in order to complete core skills)
You will get the most out of EFT supervision when you have had enough prior exposure to the EFT model that the supervision can focus on strengthening your existing conceptual and experiential abilities, rather than having a primarily didactic focus.
Why EFT supervision?
Great next step after either of the core trainings in EFT (externship and/or core skills)
ACES model of supervision is empirically based
Safe place to consult about EFT cases
Identify, develop and celebrate your strengths
Identify and help you with learning gaps, challenges and blocks
Help you take care of YOU (Self of the Therapist)
Help you work toward certification