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'Historically, in the field of addiction, people are encouraged not to bring their distress around using to their partners, which in turn shuts the partner out and creates more relational distress...which is a trigger for relapse. What we're doing now is embodying EFT the way we typically do, but creating a way for partners to be another resource for people coping with the pain that drives addiction rather, than a trigger...' ~ Michael Barnett, LPCC 
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Transforming Addiction Through Attachment and Emotionally Focused Therapy

DATE
FRIDAY, APRIL 10th & SATURDAY, APRIL 11th, 2026

TIME
9:30AM - 5:30 PM ET (both days)

LOCATION​

Guardian Recovery
3333 S. Congress Ave.
Delray Beach, FL 33445

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MEET THE PRESENTER

Michael Barnett, MA, ED.S., LPCC

ICEEFT certified trainer, addiction specialist, podcast host, and author Michael Barnett is a leading voice in the Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) community. Known for his warmth, clarity, and decades of experience integrating EFT with addiction treatment, he brings over 30 years of clinical wisdom to his teaching.

Michael is the co-founder and director of the EFT Center of Los Angeles and maintains a private practice in Pasadena. Previously, he founded and directed the Atlanta Center for EFT, where he trained hundreds of clinicians over a span of 17 years.

Michael’s roots are in addiction work and prior to discovering EFT, he spent nearly a decade working in inpatient and outpatient addiction programs and training clinicians nationwide. Since becoming certified as an EFT trainer in 2008, he has led more than 100 trainings across North America and internationally—focusing on the integration of attachment science, trauma-informed care, and experiential psychotherapy,  for both mental health providers and corporate leaders.

In 2010, Michael led a groundbreaking research initiative embedding EFT into a residential addiction treatment center—paving the way for a more compassionate, attachment-based approach to addictive behaviors. His work shifts the clinical lens from pathology and control to one of connection, meaning, and emotional healing.

Michael was honored to be elected as co-presenter with Dr. Gabor Maté at the 2022 International EFT Summit, offering powerful insight into addiction’s emotional roots and the path to deeper recovery.
Now, following the release of his groundbreaking The Emotionally Focused Therapy Workbook for Addiction: How to Heal the Loneliness and Shame that Trigger Addictive Behaviors (New Harbinger, 2024), Michael is devoted to guiding individuals in recovery toward deeper emotional healing, connection, and wholeness.

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DESCRIPTION

This dynamic 2-day immersive training is designed for therapists who want to strengthen their Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFcT) skills while learning to navigate the complex and often disruptive presence of addiction in couple dynamics.

Using a highly experiential format—including lecture, role play, video demonstrations, and structured exercises—participants will gain practical strategies for integrating EFCT interventions in cases where addiction (substance use or process addictions such as pornography, gambling, or compulsive eating) complicates the therapeutic process.

EFCT, developed by Dr. Sue Johnson, is a research-backed, attachment-based model for helping couples heal relational distress by fostering secure emotional bonds. But when addiction becomes a “third entity” in the relationship, it can erode trust, hijack emotional safety, and stall therapeutic progress—leaving couples stuck in pain and clinicians searching for direction.

This training will offer a roadmap for adapting the EFCT model to work more effectively with couples impacted by addiction. Participants will learn how to hold addiction in an attachment frame, identify its impact on the couple’s negative cycle, and respond with interventions that foster both emotional engagement and recovery-oriented stability.

Whether you’re an experienced EFT therapist or newer to the model, you’ll leave with tools you can immediately apply in clinical practice—along with a deeper comprehension of how to support couples where addiction, trauma, shame, and disconnection intersect.

OBJECTIVES
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• Identify therapist biases that may affect the therapist’s presence, empathy, or responsiveness when working with clients on the addictive continuum.
• Demonstrate how to tailor the introductory assessment process when addiction is present in the couple dynamic
• Explain addiction through the lens of attachment theory
  
• Analyze addiction as an adaptive response to loss and emotional disconnection
  
• Recognize how addiction organizes and impacts the couple’s relational system
  
• Apply Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) interventions to address addictive behaviors within the couple’s negative interactional cycle
  
• Identify strategies for working with shame during Stage 2 of EFT in the context of addiction
  
• Describe methods for processing emotion in clients with low emotional fluency
  
• Demonstrate EFT techniques to address denial related to addiction without relying on shaming or confrontational approaches
  
• Explain the impact of addiction on emotional processing and relationships from an attachment-based perspective
  
• Choose strategies for attending to unprocessed partner emotions, such as anger, within the EFT framework
  
• Choose prescriptive interventions to stabilize addictive processes during couple’s therapy
  

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GENERAL SCHEDULE

DAY 1 
8:45a - 9:30a Check-In
9:30a - 10:10am Intro
General impact of addiction on marriage
Impact of addiction on couples therapy treatment
 Clinical complexities in treatment due to addiction
 Cultural influence on addiction
10:10a-11:00a Self of the therapist
 Small group Experiential Process
11:00a-11:15a [Break] 
 11:15a-11:30a Current context of Addiction treatment
 Consistent lack of efficacy in the field
 Limitations of current treatments
11:35a-12:10p Trauma & Addiction
 Adverse Childhood Events ("ACE's")
 Gabor Mate 
12:10p-12:30p EFcT’s potential as an effective resource for treating addiction
 12:30p-1:30p [Lunch]
 1:30p-2:15p Neurobiology of addiction
 Addiction as an attachment (protective) strategy
 Emotional-process action-tendency 
 Panksepp’s theory
2:15p-3:00p Systems theory and addiction
3:00p-3:15p [Break]
3:15p-4:00p Addiction's Impact on partner and stage 1 work
Avoidant attachment strategy… altered
4:00p-4:45p  Emotional profile of the addicted person 
4:45p-5:15p  Differential Diagnosis 
5:15p-5:30p  Q&A and Wrap up
 
DAY 2
9:15a - 9:30a Check-In
9:30a-10:00a EFcT Assessment 
10:00a-10:15a Contraindications to using EFT
10:15a-11:00a Overview of clinical work with the system
11:00a-11:15a  [Break]
11:15a-12:30p Experiential practice
12:30p-1:30p [Lunch]
1:30p-1:45p Group Discussion
1:45p-2:30p Working with Emotion in Addictive Process
2:30p-3:00p Working with Shame in addiction
3:00p-3:15p [Break] 
3:15p-3:45p EFcT Stage 2 work
3:45p-4:30p Working with Attachment Injuries
4:30p-5:00p Integration with adjunctive addiction programs (i.e., 12-step, etc.)
5:00p-5:30p Q&A and Wrap up

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​TARGET AUDIENCE
Mental Health Professionals, Social Workers, Psychologists; must be licensed (or licensed-eligible) mental health professional

LEVEL
Intermediate

PRE-REQUISITE
Completion of a foundation Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) training. Any of the following below would suffice:
 ICEEFT's EFcT Externship
ICEEFT's Fundamentals of EFT
PESI courses by either Dr. Sue Johnson or Dr.  Kathryn Rheem
Psychotherapy.net's EFT Step-by-Step
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13 CEs 

CEs WILL BE AVAILABLE AND INCLUDED IN YOUR REGISTRATION FEE  FOR THE FOLLOWING PROFESSIONS ONLY THROUGH CE-CLASSES.COM
Certificates are awarded online after completion of the workshop. Participants print their own certificate after registering at CE-Classes.com, entering a keycode, and completing an evaluation form. Licensed Professionals should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval. You, the participant, are ultimately responsible for verifying this information with your state board. For further information or questions about CEs, please contact CE-Classes.com.

• The American Psychological Association (APA) CE-Classes.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE-Classes.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

• California Board of Behavioral Sciences. The California Board of Behavioral Sciences, BBS, recognizes relevant course work/training that has been approved by nationally recognized certifying bodies, such as APA, to satisfy renewal requirements.
• California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) Provider Number OS-12-174-0627 Expires 06-2027
• California Board of Registered Nursing. CEP 15647 Expires 11/30/2026.
• Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling Provider #852 BAP-Expires 3/31/2027
• Florida Board of Nursing (CE Provider #: 50-4896) Expires 10/31/2026 Do not send certificates to the Florida Board of Nursing. You must keep this certificate for 4 years.
• Florida Certification Board
• Illinois - CE-Classes.com is a registered social work CE sponsor by the State of Illinois. License 159.001607 Expires 11/30/2025
• Massachusetts Authorization Number: (TBD)
• New York Mental Health Practitioners Board CE-Classes.com, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0260
• New York Psychology Board CE-Classes.com, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0211
• New York Social Work Board – CE-Classes.com is recognized by the New York State Education
  Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0120.
• Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board - Approval from a state licensing board for counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists is accepted by the OH CSWMFTB.
• Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (LPCs, LMFTs and LBCs)
• South Carolina - CE-Classes.com is approved by the S.C. Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapist, Addiction Counselors, and Psycho-Educational Specialists (#4696).
• Texas Board of Social Work Examiners – CE-Classes.com meets the requirements for acceptable continuing education. Effective 1/1/24, at least half of the 30 hours must be obtained from a provider listed in 801.261(f). This course meets that requirement.
• Texas Board of Professional Counselors – CE-Classes.com meets the requirements for acceptable continuing education.  Effective 1/1/24, at least half of the 30 hours must be obtained from a provider listed in 801.261(f). This course meets that requirement.
• Texas Board of Marriage & Family Therapists – CE-Classes.com meets the requirements for acceptable continuing education. Effective 1/1/24, at least half of the 30 hours must be obtained from a provider listed in 801.261(f). This course meets that requirement.
• This course is NOT available for NBCC credit
• This course does not offer ASWB ACE credit to social workers. However our state board approvals may be accepted for license renewal.  Check with your state board.

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. You may also check CE-classes.com website to see if you r state and license is listed.  You are ultimately responsible for verifying all information about CEs on this website and the CE-classes.com website with your state's licensing board.

Ada Assistance: This workshop is compliant with the American Disabilities Act. Please contact us at [email protected] if special accommodations are required at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the training. 

CE Grievance Policy: CE-Classes.com and The South Florida Community for EFT seeks to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances in a fair manner. Please submit a written grievance to [email protected] and be sure to include your full name and contact number. Grievances will receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action in order to prevent further problems. 

There is no commercial support or conflicts of interest for this program. ​

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FEES

$515 Early sign up rate by February 1st, 2026

$545 Regular Rate

REGISTER NOW!

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WE WELCOME YOU TO BEAUTIFUL DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA FOR THIS EVENT! 

Nestled along the coast in South Palm Beach County, Delray Beach sits just north of Boca Raton and offers the best of Florida’s sun-soaked coastal lifestyle. Known as the “Village by the Sea,” Delray boasts a pristine two-mile stretch of sandy beach with clear, turquoise waters that are perfect for swimming, relaxing, and water sports, all alongside a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere. The town blends laid-back beach charm with an energetic, cultural pulse, featuring a vibrant downtown filled with acclaimed restaurants, boutique shopping, and art galleries. Atlantic Avenue serves as the heart of downtown Delray’s dining and nightlife scene. Just minutes away, Boca Raton offers an added layer of luxury with its upscale shopping, refined dining, and sophisticated ambiance, giving visitors easy access to two distinct coastal experiences. The ideal time to visit is winter through early spring (December–April), when the weather is warm, dry, and especially inviting. 

event 

TRAVEL & ACCOMODATION INFORMATION

AIRPORTS

Palm Beach International (PBI) or Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL)
The venue, Guardian Recovery, is located in Delray Beach in the middle of these two options as it's approximately 21 miles from PBI and 30 miles from FLL and right off I95. 

HOTEL RECOMMENDATIONS

For those needed accommodations, we recommend staying at one of the hotel options listed below. Note that April is still high season for South Florida and rooms can book up quickly, therefore, we suggest booking your accommodations as soon as possible and at a "refundable" rate.  

Want to stay super close to the event venue? These hotels below are about about 1/2 mile away and also right off of I95. Rates for these hotels are between $120 - $150 p/night. 

• Hilton Garden Inn 8201 Congress Ave., Boca Raton, FL 33487
• Extended Stay America at 501 N.W. 77th St., Boca Raton, FL 33487

Want to stay in the heart of downtown Delray Beach off Atlantic Avenue? These hotels are approximately 4 miles from the venue and located in a more bustling high traffic, but very walkable area less than a mile from the intracoastal waterway and about 1 mile from beach/ocean access. 
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• Hyatt Place 104 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33444; priced around $300 p/night  
• Courtyard by Marriott 135 SE 6th Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33483; priced around $250 p/night

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Want to stay a block from the beach and close to the heart of downtown Atlantic Avenue? The hotel below is  approximately 4 miles from the venue but in between the intracoastal and the beach is only one block away.

• The Atlantic Suites 1111 E Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33483; priced around $350 - 400 p/night

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​F.A.Q

Q. Will this training be recorded?
A. NO, this is a LIVE and IN-PERSON ONLY training and will not be recorded for participants. Use of any recording device by participants is strictly prohibited.  We will only offer special accommodations for Sabbath Observant participants in regards to recording. Reach out for more info about this. ​

Q. Does this event include meals?
A. We will be providing lunch courtesy of our co-sponsors on both days of the training. We will also be providing snacks and beverages throughout the day. There will likely be an optional (self-pay) social event for Friday night immediately following the training at a local restaurant. Full details TBD.    

Q. What's included in my registration fee. 
A. The fee includes attendance at the training, lunch each day, snacks & drinks, and your CEs. Travel and lodging are not included. 

Q. Can I attend if I will miss some portions due to conflicts, emergencies, etc.?
A. YES, you may attend what you can, we are happy to have you. Just note that you will not be eligible for CEs if you miss portions of this training and there are no exceptions to this policy. 

Q. Are CEs available?
A. YES, 13CEs are approved and included in your registration for licensed professionals attending the training in its entirety.  You will receive details post-training for instructions to obtain your CE certificate via CE-Classes.com.  

Q. What if I can't attend on Saturday for religious reasons? 
A. The trainer will be recording on Saturday strictly for those who observe Shabbat and are unable to attend for religious reasons. This is not an option for everyone in general but only those who are unable to attend due to religious reasons. The registration fee is the same regardless of live attendance.  

Q. What if I sign up but then I can't attend? 
A. The refund policy is below. 

Q. What if I sign up and you cancel the event? 
A. We will refund you 100% of the registration fee if we cancel this event and are unable to reschedule it for a later date.  Please see the full cancellation policy and details below. It's best to purchase your registration as soon as possible so we have an early accurate gauge of the number of participants, and you can get the best possible rate. We also strongly advise purchasing refundable/changeable airline tickets and/or hotel reservations. The SFCEFT hotel room block is refundable if cancelled 24 hours prior to check in. 
  

​CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY*
Less than 7 days notice - 25% refund on your registration fee
7 - 21 days' notice - 50% refund on your registration fee
21+ days' notice - full refund minus flat $75 administrative fee
* Registration refund amounts are based on our fixed costs and contractual obligations. When you enroll, it is with the understanding that you will attend. If an "Act of G-d" or nature requires SFCEFT to cancel or postpone this event, we will apply your fee to the make-up date which will likely be within 6 mos. time. If you can't attend the make-up date, you will receive a 75% refund. If SFCEFT can't secure a make-up date, you will receive a full refund.  All travel related costs will be subject to your own contractual agreement directly with the hotel, car rental company, airline, etc. (It is advised to book refundable/changeable travel; however, this is entirely up to your discretion).  All other registration refund requests will be provided to you minus the fees presented above. If you qualified for a scholarship, due to limited amounts, please notify us as soon as possible if you are unable to attend so that scholarship funds can open up for someone else.  All refunds must be requested in writing via email to [email protected]. The date/time of your email will be the "timestamp" with which the above refund information applies to you.  
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QUESTIONS/CONTACT*
[email protected]
*any inquiries regarding training details, registration, payment, refunds, website issues, etc.
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PROGRAM HOSTS, SPONSORS & ORGANIZERS!

Learn more about this program's addiction services partners!

Guardian Recovery is an accredited organization that offers a full range of addiction and co-occurring disorders treatment serving adolescents and adults with locations across the U.S. Many insurances accepted.

Connections in Recovery is a national personalized service that links individuals struggling with mental health and/or substance misuse to the best providers, recovery companions, and treatment resources to support long-term positive recovery and wellness. They provide incredible caring and individualized support for anyone navigating the overwhelming maze of addiction services.