Learning the Carer Skills of Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) with Claire Finkelstein 7 September 2023

Clinical Psychologist, Claire Finkelstein, talks about an emotion focused therapy which carers can learn to apply within their families and with their loved ones with an eating disorder.

Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) is based on the therapeutic belief that parents are the best ones to help their child. It has been a game changer for many of our parents and carers who have had success introducing it into their communications at home.

This session helps carers learn how to master the art of validation to increase connection and enhance their relationship with their loved one, and ultimately contribute to healing and recovery from an eating disorder.

Claire is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and Board Approved Supervisor with a particular interest in working with individuals and families across the lifespan who grapple with eating disorders and body image concerns. She engages from a trauma-informed, systemic and emotion-focused framework and is committed to honouring diversity of body shape and size, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity and spirituality. With a background in child, adolescent and family mental health, Claire believes families and loved ones play an integral role in helping young people overcome mental health and eating disorder concerns, and aims to collaborate in a sensitive and empathic manner.

Claire co-founded a multidisciplinary private practice that specialises in eating disorders and body image concerns in Melbourne seven years ago. Currently, she runs a small private practice and is a PhD candidate at Swinburne University, with her research focusing on the emerging area of psychedelic medicine and body image distress. She is preparing to run an open-label case study exploring psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy as a potential treatment for body image disturbance.

The session includes a 30 minutes of Q&A’s with Claire and the audience.