Trailblazing New EFT Ground: Multicultural Realities, Stress and Clinical Humility Paul T. Guillory, PhD

Date: February 2, 2025

Time: 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Location: Balance Arts Center 151 W 30th Street, 3rd floor “Kemp Room”, New York, NY 10001

4 CEs (APA and NBCC-approved through TRIEFT)

Within the Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) model, there are three modalities, Individual, couple, and family therapies. The clinical focus of each modality is guided by attachment theory/science and the associated emotional experiences. EFT as a clinical model is considered to have universal validity and appeal as a treatment model cross culturally.

A new era of integrating cultural matters has been emerging adjacent to, but largely outside of major models of therapy. This clinical focus has been towards interventions that break the negative legacies of the cultural deficit model and promote cultural thriving. This negative legacy has an intergenerational cultural echo.

Stress emerging from the boarder social environment has been typically treated as content or contextual matters, but not a central focus of EFT therapists.

Contextual factors are typically part of a comprehensive assessment, but largely treated as a part of a categorical checklist. EFT is dynamic experiential model and has largely focused on the view of self & others with respect to attachment significance. (Multi)-cultural identity struggles and distress has focused more on the challenge & threats to view of self as competent person, or mastery of environmental challenges in social interactions. These struggles impact attachment bonds. Clinical training about these cultural realities has often been challenging due to the emotional reactivity that emerges during discussions.

This training will review internalize stress and cultural alienation from a multi-cultural perspective. The training will provide opportunities to review cases and discuss the integration of EFT with dynamic cultural realities. With demonstrations and discussions, we will see how this cultural focus of EFT work when it is experienced by individuals, couples, and families.

This training will advance everyone’s EFT training as stress & culture is integrated into the heart of the EFT process. In this regard, processing stress and multicultural clinical dynamics are a life-long process.

In Dr. Paul Guillory’s book Emotionally Focused Therapy with African American Couples; Love Heals, he suggests that therapists work most effectively with Couples of Color when they have a conceptual model for cultural matters, including stress, racial identity, race-based events, and racial trauma. Integrating these concepts into the clinical work promote both individual wellness and the love bond with persons of color. Case studies, vignettes, and video clips of clinical interventions illustrate the work with breakout groups to practice specific clinical interventions.

Watch Paul T. Guillory in conversation with Elana Katz as he delves into the intersection of multicultural realities, clinical humility, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe why failure to broach multi-cultural stress in EFT therapy can be harmful.
2. List at least three ways that therapists use of self might be enhanced by the therapists exploring their own multi-factor dynamic identity.
3. Describe and compare different types of adverse culture-based events that impact culturally different people.
4. Describe three ways to help Culturally different/marginalized people process adverse cultural-based events in EFT therapy.
5. List within the five EFT Tango Moves where stress or culture might be included.
6. Discuss ways that therapists might reframe stress or multicultural harmful interactions to promote a positive view of self or relationship bonds.
7. List three ways the cultural deficit model might impact culturally different or marginalized group members
8. Identify the impact on internalized deficit model on view of self & others within marginalized groups members.
9. Critique the goals of EFT therapy that are likely relevant for multicultural couples beyond the enhancement of a safe-haven & secure-base (hint: stress & culture).
10. Apply EFT interventions that promote self-exploration of cultural identification
11. Practice EFT interventions using accessing and processing emotional defenses/protective strategies to cultural realities and safety.
12. Conceptualize multi-cultural destress and how it influences self-appraisals and interpersonal interactions
13. Promote the preparation of the next encounter with multicultural stress/distress/threat

Workshop Schedule

• 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm Introduction, Objective, Overview, Key Concepts, and  Safety
• 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm  Processing Stress, Broaching Culture, Clinical Implications
• 2:00 pm to 2:10 pm   Break
• 2:10 pm to 3:00 pm Video Tapes & Self-Reflection and Cultural Identities
• 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm Integration of Cultural Realties into Clinical Humility
• 3:45 pm to 4:00 pm Inviting Discussion Culture Realities & EFT

Presenter: Paul Guillory, PhD

 Dr. Guillory is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley in the Clinical Science Program, Psychology Department. He has taught courses on Emotionally Focused Therapies at U.C. Berkeley. He is certified trainer, supervisor, and therapist of Emotionally Focused Therapy. He is the author of “Emotionally Focused Therapy with African American Couples: Love Heals,” Routledge, August 2021. He has created several clinical online training video tapes that amplify integrating attachment & culture (www.paultguilloryphd.com). Dr. Guillory has presented at several recent workshops including “Emotionally Focused Therapy in a time of Racial Reckoning” Couple & Family Institute of New England, Spring Symposium, “Race and Couples Therapy Conference,” Eikenberg Academy for Social Justice, July 2021, and “Deep Roots: Attachment & Culture, LA Center of EFT, November 2021, Attachment & Culture: Deep Roots, NCCEFT Annual 2-day Workshop, April 8 & 9, 2022, “Deep Roots: Attachment & Culture, APA 2022 workshop, Annual Convention. He is the former chairperson of the Northern California Community of Emotionally Focused Therapy. Dr. Guillory was the psychological consultant to the Oakland Raiders professional football team and the National Football League for 14 years. He has also been a consultant to the Sacramento Kings professional basketball team, and is a selected provider for the National Basketball Players Association. He served as Director of the Center for Family Counseling in Oakland California for ten years. He is a life-time member of the Association of Black Psychologist. And he is a life-time member of the USA Masters Track & Field Association. He has been in private practice in Oakland California for over 30 years.

Continue the Day with A Night of Tango and Connection! After the workshop, join us for an elegant evening at A Night of Tango and Connection, our exciting fundraiser event:

• Date: Sunday, February 2nd, 2025
• Time: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
• Venue: You Should Be Dancing Studios @ 37 W 26th St 2nd floor, New York, NY 10010 (just a 10-minute walk from the workshop venue)

Enjoy live music by the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet, a mini tango lesson, and the opportunity to connect with the community while supporting a meaningful cause. For more information and to register: https://nyceft.org/event/a-night-of-tango-and-connection-nyceft-fundraiser-event/

Attend each event individually or enjoy both for the full experience.

Disability Access – If you require ADA accommodations please contact our office 30 days Or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification.

Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often And while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions Or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Cancellation Policy: If notified in writing of canceling by January 19 fee is refunded minus $50 administrative fee. Registrations canceled after January 19 are not refundable.

Disclosure Statement: There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program If you have any questions or complaints, please contact our administrator at info@nyceft.org