Christ Centered Counseling: Emotionally-Focused Therapy

The latest in his “Next Steps” blog series, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis Associate Professor of Practical Theology Dr. Richard “Rick” Marrs discusses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) as developed by Dr. Sue Johnson with Rev. Marty Hasz, assistant to the president of the LCMS Missouri District for church worker and congregational health. EFT has been developed as a secular counseling strategy based from the science of attachment theory. But Johnson has recently co-authored a book exploring how the science underlying EFT is parallel to and consistent with the wisdom of Christian Scriptures. Marrs and Hasz also discuss the importance of reconciliation between Christians who are in conflict.

Marrs holds a Master of Science in counseling from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., and a Doctor of Philosophy in counseling psychology from Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Ill. In 2019, Marrs published the book Making Christian Counseling More Christ Centered, which focuses on the relevance of Luther’s soul-care theology in Christian counseling (WestBow Press).