Couples therapy in Orange County
Most couples come in saying one thing on the surface — the same fight, the drift, the broken trust. EFT works on what's underneath.
Couples therapy with Janie uses Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the evidence-based gold standard developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. EFT works on the attachment cycle underneath the fight, not just the fight itself.
The premise: couples don't actually argue about what they're arguing about. The dishes, the in-laws, the text that didn't get answered — those are flashpoints. The real argument is always about whether you matter to each other, whether you can count on each other, whether the bond is safe. EFT addresses that directly.
There's also a specific sub-specialty within couples work: high-conflict couples — relationships where the dynamic has gotten so heated or so frozen that ordinary couples therapy hasn't been able to make traction. That work has its own page.
The opening line is rarely the real problem.
These are some of the typical opening lines in a consultation. The line is what's on the surface. The work is finding what's underneath — and that's what EFT was built to do.
The drift, with no clear moment when it happened.
Infidelity, betrayal, the long work of repair.
The cycle — pursue/withdraw or criticize/defend — running underneath every topic.
Years of small misses adding up to something neither person wanted.
Pursuer/withdrawer dynamic; the very behavior that's protecting one is wounding the other.
Resentment that has its own logic — and what's actually underneath the imbalance.
One method, specifically built for this.
For couples work specifically, Janie uses EFT. Read more about how the method works and what the three stages look like:
The cycle is workable.
Start with a free 15-minute consultation — both of you on the call. We'll talk through what's been happening and whether EFT is the right fit.
Do we have to be married to do couples therapy?
No. Couples therapy is for any committed relationship — married, partnered, dating, or somewhere undefined. The work is the same: understand the cycle between you and shift it.
What if one of us doesn't really want to be here?
It happens — one partner is more 'on board' than the other. EFT can still work with that, especially if the less-on-board partner is willing to come in and see what happens. What doesn't work is forcing the work, or assuming the therapist's job is to convince a reluctant partner. We talk this through in a consultation.
We're considering separation. Is therapy still useful?
Yes. Some couples work through the conflict and reconnect. Some decide the work is to separate well — meaning to do it without further damage, especially if there are kids involved. EFT can hold both possibilities and help you find the answer that's actually right, instead of the one that's just easier in the moment.
We've already tried couples therapy and it didn't work.
That's the common story. A lot of couples therapy focuses on better communication tools without addressing what's underneath — and the tools tend to fall apart at the first real conflict. EFT works on the cycle and attachment patterns themselves. If previous therapy was structured differently, this can land differently.
Are you certified in EFT?
Janie is trained in EFT and a member of ICEEFT (the international body founded by Dr. Sue Johnson) and OCCEFT (the Orange County chapter). She is not currently ICEEFT-certified; certification is a separate, more advanced credential. Read more about Janie's EFT training on the approach page.