We are so pleased to offer this in-person EFT Externship 2026 at Whitworth University in Spokane, and we are honored to have EFT Trainer Kathryn de Bruin, LMFT guide us in our learning.  Last year’s externship was a fulfilling experience with 60 clinicians gathering for the 4 days to immerse themselves in EFCT and in the professional learning environment to experience the EFT community and the EWNIeft Community.

Created by Sue Johnson, EFT is an experiential therapy for couples, individuals and families that is emotion-focused, attachment-based, and process-oriented. EFCT Externship focuses more on applying EFT to partners/couples. Come learn this beautiful therapy model created by Sue Johnson.  We stand on her shoulders and we continue to spread her model and honor her legacy.

This is an official 4 Day Externship (24 hours of training) endorsed by the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT) and in collaboration with Whitworth University Externship with Continuing Education units provided by TriEFT/Alliant.  EFT Externship provides the foundation for EFT learning and it is the first step in the certification process to become an ICEEFT Certified EFT Couples Therapist (EFCT).

Participants will see a live therapy demonstration by Kathryn de Bruin, a powerful experiential learning tool.

24 CEs are available for associate and licensed clinicians for a separate cost.

Attending EFT Externship is the first step on the path to EFT Couples certification.

Please see the ICEEFT website for more information about EFT certification.

 

Register Here

 

WHAT WILL I LEARN AT EXTERNSHIP?

• Participants will obtain a clear understanding of the basic experiential and systemic concepts of an “Emotionally Focused” approach to therapy.
• Participants will be able to view clients in the web of their interpersonal attachments and conceptualize relationship distress and repair based on theories of attachment and emotion.
• EFT is a relational therapy. The Externship will focus on the model of EFCT laid out in the 2019 book, Attachment Theory in Practice, and teach the model as implemented in couple therapy sessions.
• Participants will develop skills in sharing and maintaining an engaged, open and collaborative alliance with clients.
• Participants will develop skills in the 5 moves of the basic macro-intervention – the EFT Tango – in order to change patterns of affect regulation, models of self and other, strategies for engaging others and interactional patterns.
• Participants will develop skills in EFT micro interventions taken from experiential and attachment systemic models of intervention.
• Participants will develop skills in overcoming common blocks and impasses in couple therapy and so shape core corrective emotional experiences that lead to constructive dependency and what Rogers termed ‘existential living.’

 

WHO IS THIS TRAINING FOR? 

EFT core trainings are designed for mental health professionals, therapists, counselors and trainees. Participants are required to note their professional affiliation at registration.

Life coaches are not permitted to attend unless they also meet one of the mental health professional categories listed above.

 

SCHEDULE AND AGENDA 

Externship will meet March 23-26, 2026 from 9am-4:30pm.

Each day, we will have a 15 minute break in the morning, a 1 hour lunch on your own, and a 15 minute break in the afternoon.

Prior to the training, each registered participant will receive a welcome letter via email with more details including parking and local lunch spots.

 

The Agenda will be (subject to change):

Monday:       Welcome and attachment theory

Tuesday:       EFT Stage 1 with videos of real session

Wednesday:  EFT Stage 2 with videos of real session

Thursday:     EFT with individuals (EFIT) and EFT with families (EFFT)

 

FEES AND CLOSING DATES

** With new tax changes in the State of Washington there is now a tax charge for all in person trainings.

** For this event there is a 8.9% interest charge added to all ticket prices.

 

Early bird — $1050 + 8.9% = $1,143.45  (ends Jan 24, 2026)

Regular  —  $1145 + 8.9% = $1,246.91

Associate/Military — $925 + 8.9% = $1,007.33

Students  — $725 + 8.9% = $789.53

Diversity — reach out to [email protected]

 

CANCELLATION & REFUND  POLICY

When you register and pay for this or any EWNIEFT Community event, your registration fee is used in advance to support essential event costs, including trainer honoraria and facility-related expenses. As a non-profit organization, EWNIEFT depends on each event to be financially self-sustaining.

We appreciate your understanding that these commitments are made well ahead of the event, and changes can affect our ability to offer future trainings within our community. To balance flexibility with these responsibilities, the following cancellation policy applies:

• Cancellations received 30 days or more prior to the start date of the training are eligible for a refund minus a $50 non-refundable administrative fee.

• Cancellations received within 30 days of the start date are not eligible for a refund; however, the registration fee may be applied as a credit toward a future EWNIEFT Community–sponsored event within two years of the original event date.

• If a participant has registered and does not attend all or part of an Externship, Core Skills module, or Master Class training without prior notice, we are unable to offer a refund or credit.

We regret that exceptions cannot be made to this policy and appreciate your understanding.

If you have questions or need clarification, please contact [email protected].

CEU Information

Spokane Externship March 2026

 

PREREQUISITE AND SEQUENCE

ICEEFT recommends taking Fundamentals of EFT prior to this course. There are no prerequisites for an EFCT Externship.

EFCT Core Skills follows an Externship.

Required Reading: The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connection, 3rd edition, by Susan M. Johnson, 2020. Routledge.

Recommended Readings:
Attachment Theory in Practice: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with Individuals, Couples, and Families by Dr. Susan M. Johnson, 2019. Guildford Press.

Becoming an Emotionally Focused Therapist: The Workbook, 2nd  edition, by James L. Furrow, Susan M. Johnson, Brent Bradley, Lorrie L. Brubacher, T. Leanne Campbell, Veronica Kallos-Lilly, Gail Palmer, Kathryn Rheem, Scott R. Woolley, 2022. Routledge.

 

Register Here