In-person therapy available at all three of our VA office locations: Fairfax, Virginia Beach, and Newport News!
EFT Supervision & Consultation in Virginia Beach
Deepen your EFT practice and advance toward certification.
Supervision is available for clinicians working toward certification in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT), Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), and for therapists pursuing certification as EFT supervisors through supervision of supervision.
Individual, dyadic, and cohort-based group supervision options.
Trusted by couples across Virginia for relationship-focused therapy
Support for therapists working toward EFT certification
Whether you recently completed Core Skills or have been practicing EFT for years, supervision helps you:
- Understand where you are in the model
- Identify change events more clearly
- Select certification-ready tapes
- Strengthen Stage 1 and Stage 2 interventions
- Integrate attachment language into your clinical voice
Many therapists seek supervision when they are close to certification but want clarity about the next step forward.
Support for therapists working toward Stage 2 change events
Many certified EFT therapists — and even some supervisors — have limited support learning how to consistently reach and recognize Stage 2 change events, because Stage 2 events are not required for certification.
Supervision can focus specifically on helping you:
- Recognize emerging Stage 2 markers in session
- Deepen withdrawer engagement work
- Track bonding events with greater confidence
- Strengthen your use of enactments in Stage 2
- Support couples through corrective emotional bonding experiences
This area of supervision is especially helpful for therapists who want to move beyond competence toward fluency and depth in the model.
Supervision across the full Emotionally Focused Therapy model
Many supervision groups focus primarily on couples therapy.
At Communicate & Connect Counseling, supervision supports therapists working across:
- Couples (EFCT)
- Individual clients (EFIT)
- Families (EFFT)
This allows you to strengthen attachment-based work across multiple clinical contexts while preparing for certification.
Supervision is grounded in the same attachment-based model used across our EFT training clinic, where therapists provide EFCT, EFIT, and EFFT with individuals, couples, and families.
Integrating sex therapy concerns within EFT work
Because Dr. Elizabeth Polinsky is also a certified sex therapist, supervision can include support for therapists working with couples whose attachment injuries and relationship cycles intersect with sexual concerns.
This may include guidance around:
- Integrating sexuality concerns within Stage 1 and Stage 2 EFT work
- Working with desire differences within attachment frameworks
- Supporting couples navigating betrayal or sexual shutdown cycles
- Responding to sexual anxiety, avoidance, or trauma-informed concerns within EFT
This integration can be especially helpful for therapists who want to stay grounded in the EFT model while expanding confidence working with intimacy and sexuality concerns.
Supervision of supervision for therapists pursuing EFT supervisor certification
For therapists preparing to become certified EFT supervisors, supervision of supervision provides support as you:
- Develop your supervision voice
- Track therapist process and attachment framing
- Strengthen feedback skills during tape review
- Support supervisees across Stage 1 and Stage 2 work
- Integrate attachment language into supervision conversations
This work supports your development as a future EFT supervisor while aligning supervision with the EFT model.
The ACES model of supervision
Supervision is guided by the ACES model:
- Alliance – building a strong supervisory relationship that supports reflection, risk-taking, and growth
- Case conceptualization – strengthening your attachment-based formulation and tracking of process in session
- Experiential learning – including video review, role plays, enactment practice, and strengthening EFT tango moves
- Self of therapist – working directly with therapist activation using EFT-informed experiential work so stuck moments with clients become opportunities for growth
Experiential learning is a central part of supervision. Role plays and videotape review are used regularly to help EFT interventions feel more natural and embodied in your work.
Self-of-therapist work may include EFT tango-style processing to help you move through blocks that arise during emotionally intense clinical moments.
Supervision designed to help EFT feel natural in your work
Supervision is not only about meeting certification requirements.
It helps EFT become integrated into your clinical voice and style. Together we focus on:
- Process clarity
- Attachment framing
- Tracking emotion in real time
- Strengthening enactments and tango moves
- Navigating stuck moments in sessions
- Working with complex presentations such as trauma, high-conflict couples, non-monogamy, affair recovery, military couples, and sexuality concerns
EFT supervision and consultation options
Available supervision formats include:
- Individual supervision
- Dyadic supervision
- Cohort-based group supervision
- Certification-track consultation
- Supervision of supervision
Group supervision typically follows a cohort model and includes video review that counts toward ICEEFT certification requirements.
Continuing education trainings for therapists
In addition to certification-track supervision, we offer continuing education trainings throughout the year for therapists interested in strengthening Emotionally Focused Therapy skills.
Common training topics include:
- Ethics trainings for therapists working with couples
- Strengthening EFT tango moves
- Assessing and supporting de-escalation
- Working with positive cycles and tracking positive cycles
Additional trainings may occasionally include topics such as military family work, sex and trauma integration, or working with non-monogamous couples.
Trainings are offered periodically and updated as new opportunities become available. If you’re interested in upcoming trainings, contact us to be notified when new CEU events are scheduled.
EFT group supervision
Participants take turns presenting video recordings of their clinical work. Each time you present a recording during group supervision counts toward group supervision hours for ICEEFT certification.
Groups typically run using a cohort structure and remain relatively consistent across the supervision cycle.
Individual EFT supervision
Individual supervision provides focused support around your most challenging cases and learning edges.
Dyadic supervision is also available and may count as individual supervision toward certification requirements.
What therapists often gain from supervision
Therapists often report gaining:
- Greater clarity about Stage 1 and Stage 2 work
- Increased confidence tracking emotion in session
- Support preparing certification tapes
- Stronger attachment-based case conceptualization
- Confidence applying EFT with complex presentations
Supervision is designed to help EFT move from something you are learning to something that feels natural and integrated in your work.
Interested in supervision opportunities?
Because supervision groups typically run using a cohort model and often fill in advance, availability can vary throughout the year.
If you’re interested in working together, we recommend reaching out to learn what supervision options may currently be available.
Contact Us to inquire about current supervision openings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Group Supervision:
We will meet 2x per month, for 2 hours each meeting. Participants take turns showing video tape of their work. Each time you show video tape of your session in group supervision will count as one (1) hour of group supervision toward ICEEFT certification. The cost is $150 per month for 4 hours of group supervision ($37.5 per hour). The group will have a max of 8 participants so you will have a chance to present a tape every other month, or every 4th meeting.
- 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month from
- 8 – 10 AM PST (11 – 1 PM EST)
Individual Supervision:
It takes a while to get EFT into your bones. Because of this, I recommend a minimum of 2x per month supervision. Dyadic supervision is possible and can be counted as individual supervision.
There are many outstanding EFT supervisors, and I truly believe you can grow with any supervisor who is invested in your development. Finding the right fit matters.
What sets my supervision apart is that I don’t just help therapists learn what to do—I help them understand why they’re doing it. My goal is to help you think like an EFT therapist so you can confidently navigate sessions, even when couples don’t follow the “script.” Rather than memorizing interventions, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of attachment, emotion, and relationship patterns so you can trust your own clinical judgment.
My background allows me to bring multiple perspectives into supervision:
- ICEEFT Certified EFT Supervisor
- Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialization in Couple Therapy
- AAMFT Approved Supervisor
- AASECT Certified Sex Therapist
Beyond my credentials, I believe the best therapists never stop learning. I continue to review my own recordings, seek consultation on challenging cases, and refine my clinical skills. I ask my supervisees to embrace curiosity and growth, and I hold myself to that same standard.
Most importantly, I strive to create a supervision experience where you’ll feel supported, challenged, and encouraged. My goal isn’t simply to help you complete certification requirements—it’s to help you become the kind of therapist who can confidently create lasting change with the couples you serve.
Group Supervision:
We will meet 2x per month, for 2 hours each meeting. Participants take turns showing video tape of their work. Each time you show video tape of your session in group supervision will count as one (1) hour of group supervision toward ICEEFT certification. Groups meet on Thursdays from 7 – 9 AM PST/ 10 AM – 12 PM EST. (Note that these times will change in April 2024 t 8 – 10 AM PST/ 11 – 1 PM EST). The cost is $150 per month for 4 hours of group supervision ($37.5 per hour). The group will have a max of 8 participants so you will have a chance to present a tape every other month, or every 4th meeting.
- Group 1: 1st & 3rd Thursdays
- Please note, I require a minimum of 8 sessions of viewing your work to write a professional colleague letter of recommendation. I only write supervisor letters for those who are also doing individual EFT supervision with me.
Individual Supervision:
We can meet weekly, bi-weekly, or as needed for 50-minute sessions. I require a minimum of 2 supervision sessions per month to keep a regular time reserved on my schedule for you. I also require a minimum of 8 sessions of viewing your work, along with approval of your submission tapes, in order to write a supervisor letter of recommendation.
A Note on Becoming Certified:
Getting you certified is a primary goal of our work together. At the same time, being ready to submit for certification varies on many factors including how many couples you are working with on a regular basis, their level of distress and commitment to the relationship, and having multiple couples who are willing to video tape in stage 2. Because of this, the length of time it takes to be ready to submit for certification varies and is not necessarily related to skill level in EFT. Focusing on enjoying the journey to certification can help you maintain motivation in the process.
EFIT, EFCT, and EFFT Individual Supervision:
- $225 per hour for individual supervision. Occasionally dyadic supervision is available and can be counted as individual supervision.
EFCT Group Supervision:
- $150 per month for 4 hours of group supervision ($37.5 per hour).
For individual supervision, please schedule a complimentary consult so we can see if we are a good fit!
For group supervision, please email me at admin@communicateandconnect.