What is Emotion Focused Skills Training for Adolescents?

The creation of EFST-A is in part our response to working in the child and adolescent mental health system. The aim of EFST-A is not to treat symptoms but to understand and then treat what fuels the emergence of those symptoms; something we define in EFST-A as “the vault.” The “vault,” the unmet need, and what we call in EFST the “brain boss” or “hijacking angel” provides the maladaptive navigational system that you may hav adopted to cope with your stress or troubles, however ineffectively.  Together, the vault, the unmet need and the brain boss create those symptoms that bring you to therapy.

Who developed Emotion Focused Skills Training for Adolescents?

Clint H. Robson, Registered Social Worker, and Joanne Jouvin, Registered Psychotherapist, developed this new model of trauma-informed intervention. EFST-A uses the theory of emotion and emotion transformation while building on and adapting principles and interventions provided by Dr. Joanne Dolhanty through her EFST-P.

Why develop a new treatment for adolescents?

The founder of Emotion Focused Therapy, Dr. Leslie Greenberg, was of the opinion that introduction to training in emotion awareness, management and transformation, is vital in adolescence and young adulthood. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, an estimated 1.2 million children and youth in Canada are affected by mental illness—yet less than 20 per cent will receive appropriate treatment. What is clear is that children and youth are struggling, and the current treatment models are not always available or effective. 

We understand that your motivation and readiness for change is a moving target. That is okay because we also understand that emotions are present from birth and are the primary driver for behaviour. That means that everything an individual thinks and does starts and ends with emotion, and the mechanism for change in therapy rests in emotion itself. Emotions provide feedback about how one is reacting to their experiences and help organize ourselves for action before there is time to think. This understanding is the foundation of what EFST-A is built on and why the developed interventions are accessible and effective for youth.