EFT vs IFS: Two Powerful Paths to Healing and Connection

When couples or individuals come to therapy, they often ask: What kind of therapy actually works? Two of the most talked-about approaches today are Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS). Both help people heal emotional wounds and build stronger relationships — but they do it in very different ways.

If you found my page because of Googling, let me introduce myself. My name is Shira Hearn, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist at Mt Hope Counseling Center in Webb City, Missouri, I specialize in helping couples and individuals understand these differences so therapy feels clear, grounded, and effective. (for more about me, click here)

What is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)?

EFT was developed by Dr. Sue Johnson and is based on attachment theory — the science of how we bond and stay emotionally connected. EFT helps people understand their negative patterns, the fights that keep repeating, and the deeper fears driving them.

When couples learn how to reach for each other in new, emotionally honest ways, their entire relationship begins to change.

📊 Research: EFT is one of the most proven methods for couples therapy in the world.

• A 2022 meta-analysis in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy found that 70–75 % of couples move from distress to recovery, and about 90 % report major improvement.

• Those changes last. Studies show that couples continue to feel closer and more emotionally secure long after therapy ends.

EFT works beautifully for couples, families, and individuals who feel stuck in painful emotional cycles — especially when connection, trust, or communication have broken down.

What is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?

IFS, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, is a powerful model for understanding your inner emotional world. It teaches that we’re made up of many “parts” — like the anxious part, the critical part, the caretaker, and the wounded child — and that healing happens when we learn to lead those parts with compassion and calm.

In IFS, you don’t try to get rid of your inner voices. You get to know them. You help them unburden the pain they’ve carried for years.

🧠 Research: Studies show IFS helps people struggling with trauma, depression, chronic stress, and internal conflict.

• A randomized trial with patients who had rheumatoid arthritis found significant improvement in pain, depression, and self-compassion after IFS treatment (Shadick et al., 2013).

• Newer studies show IFS can reduce symptoms of complex PTSD and improve emotional regulation.

Though IFS research is newer than EFT, its early results are promising — especially for trauma survivors and individuals who feel “fragmented” or disconnected inside.

How EFT and IFS Compare

	EFT	IFS
Focus	Relationship and attachment healing between partners	Internal healing and integration of emotional parts
Ideal for	Couples in distress, relationship repair, attachment trauma	Individuals with complex trauma, shame, or inner conflict
Research base	Large-scale studies, meta-analyses, long-term results	Emerging evidence, smaller studies, strong clinical promise
Goal	Create emotional safety and secure bonds	Restore internal harmony and self-leadership

EFT helps you build safety and trust in your relationships. IFS helps you build safety and trust within yourself.

In my practice, these models often work beautifully together. A couple may begin with EFT to repair their bond, and later we use IFS to help each partner heal the personal wounds that make closeness feel risky.

Which Approach Is Right for You?

If you and your partner feel disconnected, misunderstood, or caught in the same fight over and over, EFT is the best-researched and most effective path forward.

If you’re struggling with trauma, anxiety, or inner self-criticism, IFS offers a gentle, non-judgmental way to reconnect with your true self.

You don’t have to know which one you need when you walk in. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I’ll guide you — combining what research shows works best with what you need most.

Start Healing and Reconnecting Today

Whether you’re seeking couples therapy in Joplin, Webb City, Carl Junction, Carthage, or Neosho MO, or you’re ready for individual therapy that integrates IFS and EFT, help is available.

You deserve a relationship — with yourself and others — that feels secure, loving, and alive again.

📞 Call or text: 417-768-9089📧 Email: shira@radicalrelationshiptransformation.com or book a free 15 minute consultation here.

Shira Hearn, LMFT — Emotionally Focused & Trauma-Informed Couples Therapist, serving Joplin, Webb City, Neosho, Carthage and surrounding Missouri communities.