The Externship training (Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy®️ or EFCT) is a comprehensive four-day training course designed for therapists who wish to specialize in emotion-focused couple therapy. Led by a certified trainer, this training offers an in-depth introduction to the EFCT model, focusing on the scientific basis of attachment theory and the systemic approach to couples therapy.
This training is essential for therapists because it provides practical skills that help create and restore secure and resilient emotional bonds between couples. This is the first step on the path to official EFCT training, opening the door to further training and certification and increasing the therapist’s effectiveness and confidence in working with couples.
What am I studying?
Participants will receive:
- A clear understanding of the basic experiential and systemic principles of emotionally focused therapy.
- The ability to see clients within a network of relationships and attachments, and to understand relationship dynamics and recovery through attachment and emotion theories.
- In-depth knowledge of the EFCT model, based on the theory presented in the 2019 book Attachment Theory in Practice, and learning how to apply this model in couples therapy.
- The ability to create and maintain an engaging, open, and collaborative therapeutic relationship with clients.
- The basic structure of EFCT, or EFT Tango, consists of five main steps that are used to change emotion regulation, relationship-building methods, and relationship patterns.
- The ability to use EFCT micro-interventions based on an experiential and attachment-based therapy model.
- The ability to overcome typical obstacles and deadlocks in couples therapy in order to create healing emotional experiences for clients that support secure attachment and help them live a more fulfilling, authentic life—what Carl Rogers called “existential living.”
TRAINING PROGRAM
The training consists of 4 instructional days.
During the modules, participants will engage in:
- lectures
- Q&A and addressing topics that arise during the program
- presentations and demonstration sessions
- therapy practice with instructor guidance and independently
- sharing experiences in smaller groups
In total, the program includes 100 hours of group-based learning.
The training is conducted in English and will be translated into Estonian if needed.
Dates
EFT Externship (introductory training): 30.04 – 03.05.2026
Participants who complete the EFT Externship introductory training may continue with the Core Skills module.
The Core Skills module begins in October 2026 and lasts 4 days.
Upon completion of the Core Skills training, participants will receive a certificate.
Certificate requirements:
- submission of homework
- recording a video session
- written analysis and reflection
EFT Core Skills (Core training):
14.10 – 19.10.2026
PRICE
The fee for the introductory training is €490 when paid in full and registered before 15 March 2026.
For later registrations, the course fee is €600.
Payment can be made by invoice (VAT will be added to the invoice) or in cash.
Upon registration, a €100 deposit invoice will be issued.
Payment of the deposit secures your place in the training.
The deposit is non-refundable if cancellation occurs less than 30 days before the training begins.
The remaining amount must be paid before the first training day.
Information & Registration
For additional information and registration:
📧 sille@efteesti.ee
📞 521 5265
A €100 deposit confirms your place in the training.
Who is trainer Simona Herb?
Dr. Simona Herb is the president of the Romanian Association for Systemic and Emotion-Focused Psychotherapy (www.eftromania.ro) and the director of the EFT HUB Psychotherapy Center (www.efthub.ro).
Since 2017, she has been an internationally certified Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) trainer, certified by the www.iceeft.com (ICEEFT). At that time, she became the first and only EFT trainer in Eastern Europe.
Simona currently conducts EFT training and supervision for several generations of therapists in Romania and abroad (Italy, Czech Republic, Egypt, Turkey, Hungary, Iran, and Estonia).
She also leads personal development workshops focusing on couple relationships (“Hold Me Tight”) and parent-teenager relationships (“Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go”).
In Romania, she has conducted numerous professional workshops for psychotherapists on topics such as working with emotions, trauma in relationships, the impact of infidelity and recovery, and much more.
Since 2020, she has been president of the Romanian Association for Systemic and Emotion-Focused Psychotherapy, which is accredited by the Romanian College of Psychologists. The association offers long-term training programs for psychologists who wish to become licensed psychotherapists in Romania.
Her passion for relationships and emotional harmony extends to the academic world – Simona teaches at the Faculty of Psychology at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Bucharest.
“We know that love makes us vulnerable, but we are never as strong and confident as when we love.”
— Dr. Simona Herb