«Jeg forstår henne bedre nå» – En kvalitativ studie av foreldres opplevelse av relasjonen til egne barn etter emosjonsfokusert foreldreveiledning [“I understand her better now” – A qualitative study of parents’ experiences of their relationship to their children after Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)

Abstract

In this article, we report from a qualitative study investigating whether and how parents experience Emotion-Focused Family Therapy’s (EFFT’s) impact on the relationship to their children. Six parents who had attended a two-day course of EFFT were interviewed, with qualitative in-depth interviews taking place two to four months after completion of the course. We used a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach in analyzing these interviews. Analysis resulted in four main themes: Increased understanding of the child; Stronger confidence in their role as parents; Increased focus on emotions improving relationships; and Improved communication with the child. The study shows how the parents experienced becoming more secure in their role as parents and obtaining increased confidence in their own abilities. In addition, they experienced improved contact with, and better understanding of, their children. The parents underscored how these processes were ongoing and demanding and how they entailed considerable effort. Further research will contribute to expanding and nuancing our knowledge on how parents experience receiving EFFT and how such therapy affects parents’ experiences of their relationships with their children.