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​The First ​Externship centred on LGBTQ+ relationships

Took place June 27th – 30th 2022, London, England
 
Led by EFT Trainers Robert Allan and Sandra Taylor
Robert Allan and I were thrilled to offer this Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship focused on LGBTQ+ relationships and endorsed by the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).

In this training, we discussed, showed, demonstrated, and generally explored EFT with a focus on LGBTQ+ relationships. The group was an actively welcoming learning environment for LGBTQ+ and participants and helpers were primarily from the LGBTQ+ community as well as some allies.
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The EFT Externship is an introductory 28-hour training in Emotionally Focused Therapy.
The main focus is working with relationships, primarily in couples, whilst we also recognise that relationships come in many forms.
Taking place over 4 days, this training includes the observation of live and video recorded couple and individual therapy sessions, presentations of theory and clinical techniques, skill training exercises, and discussions of cases, clinical material, and related issues. 
 

​Date:     Monday 27th – Thursday 30th June 2022

Cost:        From £700 Early Bird, some reduced fee places available
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Venue:    Resource for London, 
                  356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA
                  
Times:     9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. each day,
​             optional Home Group 8.30 - 9.00 a.m. days 2-4.
Our training integrates:
  • our own lived experiences as lesbian and gay trainers,
  • how to conceptualise and work with the impact of minority stress, 
  • further considerations and elaborations for working in an attachment framework with your LGBTQ+ clients,
  • clinical examples with LGBTQ+ clients.
Our stance
  • We believe that lesbian, gay, and bi identities are inclusive of trans persons.
  • We recognise the words that we use to describe ourselves and others is constantly evolving, becoming ever more complex and precise as well as fluid rather than fixed.
  • We recognise the heterogeneity of LGBTQ+ people and will not be able to address every group and theme that could be included on this course.
  • We know that there are many intersecting identities that are important to tend to in our teaching as well. 
  • We recognise that relationships come in many different forms and value their variety whilst not being able to cover them all on this course.​
Participants:
You are eligible to apply if
  • You are a member of a recognised counselling / professional mental health organisation or a student on a substantial counselling/mental health course and
  • You are affirmative of people who are LGBTTQQIAP+
  • You want to develop your understanding of Emotionally Focused Therapy, particularly in relation to working with couples.
Diversity and Widening Participation
We actively welcome therapists in all their diversity and recognise that being a member of one or more minority groups and / or working for minority groups may result in the cost of the course being prohibitive. We offer several widening participation reduced fee places and invite you to click here to find out if you are eligible and how to apply.
We welcome donations to support us offering these reduced fee places click here for more information and to donate.

The trainers:

Sandra Taylor, PhD
Sandra Taylor, PhD, is an EFT Trainer, Supervisor and Therapist based in Lancashire, England. She works in private practice and is a Joint Head of the British EFT Centre www.beftcentre.org Sandra primarily trains therapists in Emotionally Focused Therapy in Britain and is supporting the development of the Polish EFT Community. Some of Sandra’s identities are that she is a lesbian cis-gender white female, disabled and Catholic. She co-edited with her partner ‘And GOD saw it all was very good: Catholic LGBT People in Europe Telling Their Stories’ (Esuberanza, 2015).
Sandra is an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. She previously worked as Director of Relationship Counselling in a national charity, and was a Senior Lecturer providing counsellor trainer at the University of Cumbria after more than 10 years as an Occupational Therapist in a range of mental health settings.
Sandra is a warm, knowledgeable and engaged trainer with a passion for helping people learn EFT.
Robert Allan, PhD
​Robert Allan, PhD, is an EFT Trainer, Supervisor and Therapist based in Denver, Colorado. He is an Associate Professor in the couple and family track of the graduate MFT and counseling programs at the University of Colorado Denver. Robert has helped train and supervise therapists and students in Emotionally Focused Therapy across Canada, the US, and Europe. Among other identities, Robert is a gay, cis-gender male, and worked for 20 years in community based HIV, queer, and harm reduction work from the mid-1980s.
Robert’s interest in EFT extends to his research work where he has explored cultural adaptations of EFT. He is currently the co-Principal Investigator and supervising the Denver site for the first clinical trial of Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT). He is also part of a research project exploring the impact of minority stress on students, faculty, and staff across five university campuses. Robert completed his PhD at Dalhousie University, he is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Colorado, and an Approved Supervisor with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. Robert is a warm, knowledgeable, and engaged trainer with a passion for helping people learn EFT.