Master Your Emotions with Emotion Efficacy Therapy

Emotion Efficacy therapy combines the best of DBT, ACT & Exposure Therapy to help people implement new coping strategies even when under stress or in crisis.

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#emotionalintelligence #selfhelp #copingskills

AllCEUs provides counseling education and CEs for LPCs, LMHCs, LMFTs and LCSWs as well as addiction counselor precertification training and continuing education.

What is Emotion Efficacy Therapy
~ An 8-Session protocol
~ Targets the transdiagnostic drivers of low emotion efficacy in people with emotion dysregulation, anxiety, depression, stress, and impulsivity
~ The philosophical premise of EET is that while pain is unavoidable, suffering is not.
~ EET skills focus on increasing distress tolerance and decreasing emotion avoidance. Using five components— emotion awareness, mindful acceptance, values- based action, mindful coping, and exposure-based skills practice

~ Because learning and memory are created through the encoding of experiences, it follows that utilizing all sensory and perceptual components (cognitive, somatic, and affective) is essential for new learning.
~ In EET, transemotional learning occurs through the activation of all emotional components— thoughts, sensations, feelings, and urges— to build neural pathways around new behaviors.
~ EET leverages state- dependent learning through exposure,
~ EET is based on research of three foundational ideas for its treatment structure and content
~ A transdiagnostic approach is the most effective way to treat clients with emotion problems
~ Transemotional learning, which involves all four components of emotion, is essential to learning
~ New learning is enhanced in an activated state
~ There are more commonalities than differences across diagnostic disorders, underscoring the need for transdiagnostic approaches to treatment (McEvoy, Nathan, & Norton, 2009).
~ Transdiagnostic formulation identifies and targets the mechanisms driving the symptoms (as opposed to the symptoms themselves) as a focus of intervention.
~ Transdiagnostic approaches allow for a single therapy for clients who present with a wide range of symptoms
Goals of Treatment
~ Power to experience themselves as distinct from their emotions
~ Power to experience intense emotions, instead of reacting and avoiding
~ Power to choose values- based action, even when emotionally triggered
~ Power to choose strategies to downregulate emotion and keep from making difficult situations worse
~ Apply to the following
~ Anger
~ Addiction
~ Self-harm

Vulnerabilities for Low Emotional Efficacy
~ Biological predisposition/sensitivity causing high levels of reactivity
~ High emotionality or experiential avoidance of uncomfortable sensations, emotions, and cognitions triggered by internal or external cues
~ Significant levels of distress intolerance
~ Significant lack of emotion- shifting/downregulate skills
~ Consistent and significant socially invalidating environments
~ Lack of understanding of their emotional experience
~ Ineffective tools to either tolerate difficult emotions, make values- consistent choices, or regulate their emotions.
5 Components of EET
~ Emotional Awareness
~ Thoughts, feelings, sensations, urges
~ Mindful Acceptance
~ Nonjudgmental acceptance
~ Values-Based Action
~ Proactive choice vs. reactive avoidance
~ Mindful Coping
~ Coping skills are usually used to avoid or change aversive emotion
~ Mindful coping helps clients expand their choices, so they can choose values- based action.
~ Exposure based skills practice

Typical Session
~ Mindful acceptance skills practice
~ Skills practice review and troubleshooting challenges
~ Review of previous week’s psychoeducation and skill
~ Psychoeducation on new skill
~ Practice of new skill
~ Imaginal or emotion exposure using new skill
~ Homework via skills practice record

Emotion Awareness
~ Emotions encompass
~ Thoughts
~ Feelings
~ Physical sensations
~ Behavioral urges
~ Emotions can be contextually unhelpful or helpful
~ Emotions are messages sent by the brain to help respond to perceived threats and opportunities.
~ Emotions are not the “truth”
~ Emotions urge us to action
~ Trigger Identification/Emotional Reaction Worksheet
Mindful Acceptance

0:00 Introduction
0:49 Objectives
2:22 What is Emotion Efficacy Therapy
8:36 Summary of the Foundation
25:51 5 Components of EET Emotional Awareness
30:13 Emotion Awareness Emotions encompass
37:04 Moment of Choice
38:13 Emotion Surfing 5 Key Abilities
39:38 Values Based Action
43:37 Relaxation and Self Soothing
44:58 Coping Thoughts
46:48 Radical Acceptance
47:45 Distraction Time Out