Integrating Focusing into Emotion-Focused Therapy: a therapist interview study

Focusing plays an important role within Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), aligning with its process-oriented nature and emphasis on experiencing and organismic meaning-making. Despite its theoretical and practical significance, little is known about how EFT therapists use Focusing in clinical practice. This qualitative study explored therapists’ experiences of integrating Focusing into their therapeutic work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced EFT therapists, and the data were analyzed using a descriptive-interpretive qualitative approach. The analysis identified seven main categories organized under two domains. The first domain, The process of using Focusing, reflects how EFT therapists apply Focusing within sessions and encompasses five categories: (1) Focusing as the experiential foundation of EFT, (2) therapist Focusing as the basis of therapeutic responsiveness, (3) Focusing response modes, (4) challenges of integrating Focusing in EFT work, and (5) personal patterns of Focusing use. The second domain, Factors influencing the use of Focusing, represents therapist-related factors that affect its application and comprises two categories: (1) therapist familiarity and understanding of Focusing, and (2) decreased use of Focusing due to personal resonance with EFT. Overall, the findings highlight the central role attributed to Focusing processes within EFT and their integration across multiple aspects of EFT practice.