Working with Asian Clients in Emotionally Focused Therapy: A Culturally Responsive Approach

Saturday 29 August 2026 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm (AEST)
Presented live via Zoom

How can Emotionally Focused Therapy honour cultural differences while remaining true to the model’s core principles?

Join Certified EFT Supervisor and Therapist Diana Jhin for an insightful and clinically rich workshop exploring the application of Emotionally Focused Therapy with Asian clients. Through two detailed clinical case studies—a heterosexual Asian couple and an intercultural couple comprising a Caucasian woman and an Asian man—participants will gain a deeper understanding of how culture shapes attachment, emotional expression, vulnerability, and relationship dynamics.

Drawing on her extensive clinical experience and lived experience as an Asian American who has navigated multiple cultural contexts, Diana will demonstrate how therapists can remain grounded in the EFT model while adapting interventions with cultural sensitivity and responsiveness.

This seminar will explore the challenges therapists may encounter when working with clients whose cultural values influence how emotions are experienced, expressed, or protected. Participants will examine the impact of collectivist values, family expectations, intergenerational patterns, shame, and relational obligations on the therapeutic process, and how these factors can shape pursuer softening and withdrawer re-engagement.

Throughout the workshop, Diana will illustrate practical EFT strategies for helping clients access and deepen primary emotion, validate experiences in culturally meaningful ways, slow the therapeutic process, identify and de-escalate negative interactional cycles, and foster safety around vulnerability and emotional risk-taking.

While the seminar centres on working with Asian clients, the learning extends well beyond one cultural group. Therapists working with emotionally reserved individuals, intercultural couples, or clients from collectivist or shame-based backgrounds will gain valuable insights into creating culturally attuned therapeutic conversations that strengthen emotional engagement and secure connection.

This workshop is suitable for EFT therapists, mental health professionals, and students seeking to expand both their cultural responsiveness and confidence in applying EFT across diverse client populations.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

• Explore how culture, family systems, and intergenerational experiences influence attachment and relationship dynamics.
• Deepen their understanding of pursuer softening and withdrawer re-engagement within culturally diverse contexts.
• Learn practical EFT interventions that support emotional accessibility while respecting cultural values and relational norms.
• Develop greater confidence in recognising and responding to cultural influences on emotional expression and vulnerability.
• Apply culturally responsive strategies that strengthen emotional safety, attachment security, and therapeutic alliance.

Presenter

Diana is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Emotionally Focused Therapy Supervisor and Therapist based in the United States. She serves as Director of Education, Training and Programming for NYCEFT and works in private practice in Greenwich, Connecticut, supporting couples and individuals with a particular focus on trauma, abuse, and intercultural relationships.

Having grown up as an Asian American in New York and lived in Singapore for five years, Diana brings a thoughtful appreciation of identity, belonging, and the influence of culture on relationships. Her work integrates clinical expertise with lived experience, helping clients strengthen their voice while exploring how cultural, familial, and relational experiences shape their sense of self and connection with others.

Please note: This workshop will be delivered live via Zoom and will not be recorded. Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance for 3 hours of professional development, emailed approximately two weeks following the event.