Ting Liu. It takes a Village: EFT with Couples from Collectivist Cultures
What does it mean to couples from collectivist cultures when their therapists tell them to draw boundaries between their parents and the extended family? What consequences might couples be facing when they follow their therapists' advice to listen to their hearts and pursue happiness? Couples vary in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Clients bring their unique beliefs, behaviors, languages, practices, and emotional expressions from their specific cultures to work with EFT therapists, who believe that attachment is universal in all humans. In this workshop, Dr. Ting Liu will present the impact of collectivism vs. individualism on couples' relationships and on couples therapy. This will help therapists who use an attachment lens to respect these cultural variances in clients, and recognize both their similarities and differences. In addition, specific issues that are relevant to EFT with couples from collectivist cultures will be discussed. These issues include saving vs. losing face, being selfish vs. making sacrifices, and considering the well-being of an individual vs. a group. This training will highlight the impact of cultural differences, and their attachment significance, between clients and also between clients and therapists.