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NCCEFT Events

The NCCEFT has four regular community meetings and one two-day fundraiser each year. Additional gatherings may be organized by members on an informal basis, usually on a Saturday.

If you're interested in presenting at an NCCEFT
Quarterly Meeting, please submit your proposal here:

    • 08 Mar 2026
    • 1:00 PM - 1:20 PM
    • NCCEFT ZOOM
    Register

    NCCEFT Board of Directors Meeting – Member Open Session

    All members are invited to attend the NCCEFT Board of Directors Meeting. We will devote the first 20 minutes of the meeting to members who would like to bring their questions, ideas, or suggestions.

    After the first 20 minutes, the Board will continue with the remainder of the meeting in a closed session.

    Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026
    Time: 1:00 PM – 1:20 PM (Member Session)
    1:20 PM – 2:30 PM (Board Closed Session)

    Format: Online (Zoom link will be provided upon registration)

    We look forward to seeing you there.


    • 21 Mar 2026
    • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, 2407 Dana Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
    Register

    In Person Quarterly Event

    Working with Couples from Mixed Cultural Backgrounds:

     Collectivist / Individualist

    Presented by:

    Jyoti Nadhani, LMFT & Trent Wright, MFT, LPCC, JD

    When: March 21, 2026

    Time: 10am to 1pm

    Where: The Calvin Room at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley,    2407 Dana Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

    SUBJECT:

    When cultural and racial differences enter the therapy room, attachment distress can intensify in ways that require more than standard EFT interventions. This workshop teaches clinicians how to track attachment cycles in multiracial and multicultural couples without relying on stereotypes or cultural generalizations. You will learn to identify how external stressors - racism, language barriers, family systems - activate core fears of invisibility and unsafety. The session will include adapted EFT interventions that honor both universal attachment needs and the couple's cultural context as well. Through case examples and practical guidance you'll develop skills to slow down meaning-making, validate survival wisdom, and help couples build a "third culture" of secure connection. Cultural humility meets clinical precision.

    LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

    By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

    1. Describe two key attachment patterns commonly seen in multiracial and multicultural couples when using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), including how cultural contexts shape emotional expression and protest behaviors.

    2. Identify at least three cultural factors (e.g., language, family systems, support structures) that influence attachment cycles and articulate how to address them in an EFT session.

    3. Demonstrate two to three clinical skills for intervening in Stage One of EFT when attachment distress is elevated due to cultural or racial stressors, including naming impact and facilitating repair with cultural humility.

    PRESENTERS:

    Jyoti Nadhani, LMFT, is a psychotherapist and certified Emotionally Focused Therapy practitioner with extensive clinical experience working with multiracial and multicultural couples. She brings a deep relational and contemplative approach to therapy, integrating attachment theory with contextual awareness of race, culture, and family systems. Jyoti is particularly interested in how therapists can hold cultural differences with humility while tracking core attachment patterns in the therapy room. As a clinician and teacher, she emphasizes meaning-making, emotional presence, and repair in cross-cultural relational work, helping couples build secure bonds across differences.

    Trent WrightMFT, LPCC, JD  brings over three decades of professional experience working with families and couples navigating complex relational challenges across legal, therapeutic, and mediation settings. His work is informed by a longstanding engagement with high-conflict relational dynamics, including marital distress, divorce, custody, intergenerational strain, and cross-cultural misunderstandings. Across the arc of his career, Trent has been deeply committed to developing greater cultural sensitivity, awareness, and clinical effectiveness through ongoing supervision, advanced training, and sustained clinical experience with diverse individuals, couples, and family systems. He approaches multicultural couple work with humility and curiosity, emphasizing reflective practice, attunement to context, and the careful integration of relational patterns with cultural meaning. His clinical orientation prioritizes respect, emotional safety, and thoughtful dialogue across differences.

    AGENDA: 

    10:00 – 10:30: Snacks and Socializing

    10:30 – 10:50: Announcements

    10:50 – 11:50: Program

    11:50 – 12:00: Break (not included in CE credits)

    12:00 – 1:00: Program Resumes

    1:00: Program Adjourns

    TARGET AUDIENCE:

    This training is appropriate for mental health practitioners who work with couples using Emotionally Focused Therapy.  Level is moderate and experienced in EFT.

    COST:

    This training is free to members, while non-members pay $10. Two Continuing Education (CE) credits are available to both members and non-members for a charge of $45. A link to register and pay $45 for CE's will be emailed to all registrants at a later date prior to the training.

    CONTINUING EDUCATION:

    • Alliant International University is approved by the American Psychological Association to Sponsor Continuing Education for psychologists. 

    • Alliant International University Maintains Sole Responsibility For This Program and Its Content. 

    • Provider Approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CEP17538, For 2 Contact Hours. 

    • Approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No.4469

    • Those seeking CE Credit under the BRN must retain this certificate for a minimum of 4 years.

    • There are no known conflicts of interest, and no commercial support, associated with this program.

    We are not authorized to speak on behalf of any licensing boards. If you have questions, check your licensing board’s website for their approved CE providers (for example, to see if they accept APA- or NBCC-approved CE providers). If you are still not sure, feel free to send what you have found on your licensing board’s website to help@trieft.org and they can help further clarify.

    IMPORTANT NOTICE:

    Those who attend this workshop in full, and complete the course evaluation will receive a certificate of completion via email within one week following the workshop. Please note that credit will only be granted to those who attend the entire workshop.  Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the start time or leaving before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credit.

    ACCOMMODATIONS:

    NCCEFT meets all applicable local, state and federal standards, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42, U.S.C. 12101-12213 (2008)). We hold events only at professional venues that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42, U.S.C. 12101-12213 (2008)

    ADA NEEDS: We will be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please contact us at NCCEFTinfo@gmail.com  at least two weeks prior to the seminar date.

    PARKING:

    For those with limited mobility, the underground church parking garage has disabled person parking spaces and an elevator up to the main floor. The entrance to the underground church parking garage is located on the south side of Channing Way between Telegraph Ave and Dana St. The cost is $1 per 20 minutes with a $10 maximum. A second option is across the street from the church on the north side of Channing Way at the Telegraph-Channing Garage. The cost is free for the first hour and $2 per hour after that.

    NCCEFT PROGRAM GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICY: 

    The Northern California Community for Emotionally Focused Therapy (NCCEFT) is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists. NCCEFT will comply with all legal and ethical responsibilities to be non-discriminatory in promotional activities, program content and in the treatment of program participants.  The monitoring and assessment of compliance with these standards will be the responsibility of the CPA PAS CE Program Director in consultation with the Board of Directors (Steering Committee).

    While NCCEFT works to assure fair treatment for all participants and attempts to anticipate problems, there will be occasional issues which will require intervention and/or action on the part of NCCEFT. This procedural description serves as a guideline for handling such complaints.

    When a participant, either orally or in written format, files a grievance and expects action on the complaint, the following actions will be taken:

    1. If the complaint concerns a speaker, the content presented by the speaker, or the style of presentation, the individual filing the complaint will be asked to put his/her comments in written format. The CE Program Director will then pass on the comments to the speaker, assuring the confidentiality of the aggrieved individual.

    2. If the complaint concerns a workshop offering, its content, level of presentation, or the facilities in which the workshop was offered, the CE Program Director will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action during a workshop or conference, the CE Program Director or his/her representative will:

    a. attempt to rectify the situation, and/or

    b. provide a credit for a subsequent presentation, in the event of a program having an attendance fee or

    c. provide a partial or full refund of the registration fee, in the event of a program having an attendance fee.

    Actions 2b and 2c will require a written note, documenting the grievance, for record keeping purposes. The note need not be signed by the aggrieved individual.

    3. If the grievance concerns the business practices of the NCCEFT CE program in a specific regard, the CE Program Director or Administrator will attempt to arbitrate.

    REFUND AND ATTENDANCE POLICY:

    In the event that a program presentation has an attendance fee, CANCELLATIONS should be made 48 hours prior to the event.

    • 17 Apr 2026
    • 9:00 AM
    • 18 Apr 2026
    • 4:30 PM
    • First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley 2407 Dana Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
    Register

    Facilitating Curious Conversations: Cultural Attunement Using an Attachment Lens

    April 17–18, 2026

    Presented by: James Hawkins, Ph.D., LPC

    Can’t make it to the event but still want to support our fundraiser? 

    https://www.ncceft.com/Donations

    LOCATION: First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley 

    2407 Dana Street, Berkeley, CA 94704


    DESCRIPTION:

    Emotionally Focused Therapy offers a powerful, research-based map for transforming emotional and relational distress. Yet many therapists struggle to confidently incorporate cultural identity, lived experience, and systemic context into the EFT process.

    This workshop provides a clear, attachment-grounded framework for cultural attunement that strengthens therapeutic presence, deepens emotional engagement, and enhances bonding events with all couples.

    Participants will learn where culture appears on the EFT map—within reactive cycles, secondary emotion, primary emotion, attachment needs, and blocks to engagement—and how to integrate these elements into the EFT Tango. Through teaching, demonstrations, video analysis, and guided enactment practice, therapists will learn to name cultural dynamics, respond to cultural pain with sensitivity, and support culturally meaningful connections during Stage 1 and Stage 2 work.

    The workshop also addresses the therapist's cultural self-awareness, power dynamics, cultural trauma, and strategies for repairing cultural mis-attunements. Therapists will leave with greater clarity, humility, and competence in helping clients feel deeply seen—not only as individuals, but as cultural beings whose stories shape their pursuit of connection. This workshop is ideal for EFT practitioners who seek to expand their cultural responsiveness while maintaining fidelity to the EFT model.


    LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

    By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

    1. Identify how cultural identity, social location, and systemic forces shape attachment strategies and emotional experience.

    2. Locate cultural dynamics on the EFT map and integrate them into case conceptualization and treatment planning.

    3. Apply the EFT Tango with cultural responsiveness, naming cultural elements that influence secondary emotion, primary emotion, attachment needs, and the blocks to engagement.

    4. Demonstrate cultural attunement during the co-regulation and de-escalation processes in Stage 1 of EFT.

    5. Facilitate culturally meaningful enactments in Stage 2 of EFT that foster bonding through shared understanding, repair of cultural wounds, and tenderness around identity.

    6. Recognize their own cultural shaping and how it impacts their therapeutic presence when using EFT.

    7. Use culturally attuned language that invites emotional depth without imposing assumptions or erasing complexity.

    8. Respond to cultural misattunements in session using EFT repair processes.

    9. Name two key principles that influence cultural attunement using an attachment lens with EFT.

    10. Discuss moving from Stage One to Stage Two in the Tango to access underlying or disowned parts of the Self tied to cultural identity.

    11. Name two techniques that can be used during the initial assessments of EFT to introduce and identify cultural components.

    12. Explain how cultural identity can impact emotional experience/connection in Stage Two of EFT.

    PRESENTER:

    Dr. James Hawkins, Ph.D., LPC—also known as Doc Hawk—is a Licensed Counselor with over 12 years of experience. He is a certified trainer, supervisor, and therapist with the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT). Dr. Hawkins holds a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Counseling.

    Currently, Dr. Hawkins serves as the Clinical Coordinator at a non-profit counseling practice in Northwest Arkansas, where he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate relational distress. He is also the founder of Healing Conversations, a training initiative designed to equip organizations and communities to engage in productive conversations about race.

    An active voice in the therapy community, James co-hosts two podcasts: The Leading Edge in Emotionally Focused Therapy and The Leading Edge: Transforming Leadership Through Attachment Science. He is a faculty member of Success in Vulnerability, an online training program that supports EFT therapists and supervisors in deepening their clinical practice.

    Known for his warmth, expertise, and passion, Doc Hawk is dedicated to promoting emotional and relational health in both clinical and community settings. He lives in Northwest Arkansas with his wife, Nicola, and their five daughters.


    AGENDA:

    Day One:

    9:00 am - Registration/check-in/mingling with refreshments

    9:30 am - Training begins

    1:00-2:00 pm - Lunch - provided

    2:00 pm - Training resumes

    4:30 pm - Training adjourns

    A 15-minute break will be offered with refreshments mid-morning.

    Day Two:

    9:00 am - Registration/check-in/mingling with refreshments

    9:30 am - Training begins

    1:00-2:00 pm - Lunch (provided) 

    2:00 pm - Training resumes

    4:30 pm - Training adjourns

    A 15-minute break will be offered with refreshments mid-morning.

    COST:

    Registration: $450

    Early Bird Registration before March 15: $425

    Student/Associate/Equity rate:  $375

    Equity Rate:   Accessibility is important to NCCEFT. As such we offer a reduced cost for our EFCT trainings to individuals from diverse backgrounds.  

    Eligibility Criteria: Represent and/or work with underserved & underrepresented communities and/or work with clients with less financial means. This includes, but is not limited to, BIPOC clinicians, sexual and gender minorities, differently-abled individuals, immigrants & clinicians who are semi-retired. 


    Please note that this is a FUNDRAISER for NCCEFT and a majority of the profits go towards supporting DEIC efforts within the community.

    Twelve (12) Continuing Education (CE) credits are available for a charge of $45. A link to register and pay $45 for CE's will be emailed to all registrants at a later date prior to the training.


    CONTINUING EDUCATION:

    Alliant International University is approved by the American Psychological Association to Sponsor Continuing Education for psychologists. 

    Alliant International University Maintains Sole Responsibility For This Program and Its Content. 

    Provider Approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CEP17538, For 12 Contact Hours. 

    Approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No.4469

    Those seeking CE Credit under the BRN must retain this certificate for a minimum of 4 years.

    There are no known conflicts of interest, and no commercial support, associated with this program.

    AI WAS NOT used in the creation of this CE.

    We are not authorized to speak on behalf of any licensing boards. If you have questions, check your licensing board’s website for their approved CE providers (for example, to see if they accept APA- or NBCC-approved CE providers). If you are still not sure, feel free to send what you have found on your licensing board’s website to help@trieft.org and they can help further clarify.


    ACCOMMODATIONS:

    NCCEFT meets all applicable local, state and federal standards, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42, U.S.C. 12101-12213 (2008)). We hold events only at professional venues that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42, U.S.C. 12101-12213 (2008)

    ADA NEEDS: We will be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please contact us at ncceftinfo@gmail.com at least two weeks prior to the seminar date.


    NCCEFT PROGRAM GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICY:

    The Northern California Community for Emotionally Focused Therapy (NCCEFT) is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists. NCCEFT will comply with all legal and ethical responsibilities to be non-discriminatory in promotional activities, program content and in the treatment of program participants.  The monitoring and assessment of compliance with these standards will be the responsibility of the CPA PAS CE Program Director in consultation with the Board of Directors (Steering Committee).

    While NCCEFT works to assure fair treatment for all participants and attempts to anticipate problems, there will be occasional issues which will require intervention and/or action on the part of NCCEFT. This procedural description serves as a guideline for handling such complaints.

    When a participant, either orally or in written format, files a grievance and expects action on the complaint, the following actions will be taken:

    1. If the complaint concerns a speaker, the content presented by the speaker, or the style of presentation, the individual filing the complaint will be asked to put his/her comments in written format. The CE Program Director will then pass on the comments to the speaker, assuring the confidentiality of the aggrieved individual.

    2. If the complaint concerns a workshop offering, its content, level of presentation, or the facilities in which the workshop was offered, the CE Program Director will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action during a workshop or conference, the CE Program Director or his/her representative will:

    a. attempt to rectify the situation, and/or

    b. provide a credit for a subsequent presentation, in the event of a program having an attendance fee or

    c. provide a partial or full refund of the registration fee, in the event of a program having an attendance fee.

    Actions 2b and 2c will require a written note, documenting the grievance, for record keeping purposes. The note need not be signed by the aggrieved individual.

    3. If the grievance concerns the business practices of the NCCEFT CE program in a specific regard, the CE Program Director or Administrator will attempt to arbitrate.


    CODE OF CONDUCT:

    By registering for this training, participants agree to abide by the NCCEFT Code of Conduct, which ensures a respectful, inclusive, and supportive environment for all attendees. Failure to adhere to this Code may result in removal from the event without refund.


    REFUND AND ATTENDANCE POLICY:

    In the event that a program presentation has an attendance fee, CANCELLATIONS are subject to a $50.00 processing fee and must be received 14 days prior to be eligible for a refund.

    • 06 Nov 2026
    • 07 Nov 2026

    Save the Date!

    Master Class with Dr. Leanne Campbell:
    EFIT and Trauma and Grief Training

    Join us for a special fundraising event with Dr. Leanne Campbell, EFT Trainer and expert in EFIT (Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy) and working with trauma and grief.

    November 6–7, 2026

    Stay tuned for registration details!


Past events

09 Feb 2026 EFCT Externship Presented by: Dr. Paul Guillory, PhD
08 Feb 2026 NCCEFT Board of Directors Meeting – Member Open Session
15 Nov 2025 NCCEFT Quarterly: Self of the Therapist in EFT: Going Beyond Countertransference and Using our Humanity as a Therapeutic Asset
17 Oct 2025 POLYVAGAL THEORY, SHAME AND EFT: INTEGRATING NEUROSCIENCE AND ATTACHMENT TO TRANSFORM COUPLES THERAPY
10 May 2025 NCCEFT Quarterly: Compulsive Behaviors - Using Harm Reduction & Motivational Interviewing in EFCT
09 Nov 2024 Trailblazing New EFT Ground: Stress, Attachment and Cultural Humility
13 Jul 2024 Affairs: Moving on From the Crisis of Discovery
04 May 2024 Introducing the Application of Ketamine Assisted EFCT: A revelatory intervention that assists clients and clinician alike
21 Oct 2023 NCCEFT Quarterly October 21, 2023 CULTURAL HUMILITY & EFT Tango Moves
03 Jun 2023 In Person Summer Quarterly, June 3rd 2023
13 May 2023 NCCEFT 2023 Fundraiser May 13 & 14 IN PERSON AND ONLINE
29 Oct 2022 Fall Quarterly Kickoff: EFT and Returning to the Basics
29 Oct 2022 IN PERSON Quarterly Kickoff October 29th
08 Apr 2022 NCCEFT 2022 Fundraiser April 8th and 9th
29 Jan 2022 Jan 29 Quarterly Event: OK Context Is A Thing, Now What?
29 Jan 2022 NCCEFT Quarterly ON-LINE Meeting: January 29th
25 Sep 2021 Use of the Self, EFT, and Conversations about Culture and Race
26 Jun 2021 NCCEFT Quarterly ON-LINE Meeting
16 Apr 2021 NCCEFT 2021 Fundraiser April 16 - 17, 2021
06 Mar 2021 NCCEFT Quarterly Meeting: Embodying EFT: Enhancing the Somatic Dimension
30 Jan 2021 NCCEFT Quarterly ON-LINE Training: EFiT with Sam Jinich, PhD
18 Dec 2020 Very Attached ZOOM Holiday Party
10 Oct 2020 NCCEFT Day-long Training with Rebecca Jorgensen, PhD
26 Sep 2020 NCCEFT Quarterly Fall Kick-Off Event
23 May 2020 Doing EFT Online: A Conversation with Rebecca and Sam
06 Mar 2020 NCCEFT 2020 Fundraiser--High Conflict Couples with George Faller
01 Feb 2020 NCCEFT Quarterly Meeting: Affect Theory and EFT
07 Dec 2019 Very Attached Holiday Party
02 Nov 2019 NCCEFT Daylong: Developing Confidence in Addressing Sexual Issues Within Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
07 Sep 2019 NCCEFT Fall Kick-Off--Attachment Therapist as Fellow Traveler: Attunement in EFT
22 Jun 2019 Affect Theory and EFT: Welcoming Secondary Emotions & Reactive Behaviors
27 Apr 2019 Integrating EFT and Sex Therapy Through Case Studies
22 Mar 2019 NCCEFT Fundraiser--Emotionally Focused Family Therapy: Healing Relationships and Promoting Resilience
02 Feb 2019 Robert Solley, PhD; EFT on a Spectrum
01 Dec 2018 Very Attached Holiday Party
27 Oct 2018 EFT with High Conflict Couples
08 Sep 2018 Back to EFT Basics with Sam Jinich, Ph.D.
16 Jun 2018 Leading, Being Led, Walking Beside: Collaboration with the Couple in EFT
14 Apr 2018 Shoring up the Emotional Bonds from the Inside Out Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EFT - Partners in Intimacy
02 Feb 2018 NCCEFT Fundraiser: Sex as a Safe Adventure: Connecting Sexually and Emotionally Through EFT
06 Jan 2018 EFT for New Parents: Navigating the Attachment Minefield
02 Dec 2017 NCCEFT Very Attached Holiday Party
23 Sep 2017 STEP 3: The Challenges of Accessing Emotions When the Withdrawer and the Pursuer are Highly Cognitive
17 Jun 2017 NCCEFT Quarterly Meeting: Can You See Me? Providing Emotionally Focused Therapy to Middle Eastern and Immigrant Couples.
07 Apr 2017 NCCEFT Annual Fundraiser
04 Mar 2017 NCCEFT Quarterly Meeting: The Dreaded "S" Word
14 Jan 2017 NCCEFT Quarterly Meeting: Unlocking the Mystery of Pursuer Softening
10 Dec 2016 NCCEFT Very Attached Holiday Party
01 Oct 2016 Step 2 of EFT: Tracking the Reactive Negative Cycle
18 Jun 2016 Making Peace with Pursuit
07 May 2016 EFT and Grief
08 Apr 2016 How Sharing Emotions Calms the Traumatized Brain and Heart: The Application of EFT with Trauma Couples
23 Jan 2016 Roadmap to EFT Certification
05 Dec 2015 NCCEFT Very Attached Holiday Party
26 Sep 2015 Stage 1: Attuning to the Relational Bond with EFT Interventions
27 Jun 2015 Working with Men in the EFT Model
24 Apr 2015 Addressing Addictions while Fostering Secure Attachments with EFT
28 Mar 2015 EFT with Same-Sex Couples: An Open Discussion
31 Jan 2015 The Joy of Sex: A Therapists’ Guide to Sex and Self of Therapist in EFT
06 Dec 2014 NCCEFT Very Attached Holiday Party
20 Sep 2014 Stuck Places in EFT
28 Jun 2014 Withdraw-Withdraw Couples: Moving into Increased Engagement
30 May 2014 Journey into Your Self as a Therapist: Self-Exploration, Discovery and Transformation
29 Mar 2014 The EFT Tango Map
25 Jan 2014 Healing Attachment Injuries with Emotionally Focused Therapy
28 Sep 2013 FIREFIGHT: When The Negative Reactive Cycle Explodes In The Therapy Room

Get in Touch

NCCEFT
775 East Blithedale Ave. #625

Mill Valley, CA 94941


Email
ncceftinfo@gmail.com

In association with the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy


NCCEFT is a professional association of therapists practicing Emotionally Focused Therapy in Northern California. Serving communities of the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, including San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, San Jose, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno, and beyond; we have members throughout California and throughout the United States.
 
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