Emotionally Focused Therapy with African American Couples Love Heals

Emotionally Focused Therapy with African American Couples: Love Heals is an essential guide that integrates emotionally focused therapy (EFT) with cultural humility. It provides a pathbreaking, evidence-based model of couples work that reinforces the bond between partners in the face of race-based distress.

Guillory explores and brings a deep understanding of the legacy of racial trauma, and the cultural strengths of African American couples by using real-life case studies. The chapters in the book focus on several key clinical issues in the field, such as communication problems, anxiety, infidelity, depression, and porn. Each case study is enhanced by a consultation with EFT master therapist Sue Johnson.

The book is an essential text for students and mental health professionals looking to provide culturally competent therapeutic interventions. It will also appeal to psychologists, mental health workers, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and religious leaders.

1. Introduction 2. Stress and Threats to African American Romantic Relationships 3. Cultural Humility and Couples Therapy 4. Love, Attachment Theory, and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy 5. Case Study: EFT Stage One Work with Trust as Central Issue 6. Case Study: EFT De-escalation with Interracial couple with Chronic Pain 7. Case Study: EFT with One Spouse with Serious Depression 8. Case Study: EFT Withdrawer Re-engagement 9. Case Study: EFT Pursuer Softening 10. Summary Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy with Cultural Humility

Paul T. Guillory, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He is a certified supervisor and therapist of emotionally focused therapy. He is also a former chairperson of the Northern California Community of Emotionally Focused Therapy.