A randomized controlled trial of emotionally focused individual therapy (EFIT) for depression and anxiety

Emotionally focused individual therapy (EFIT; Johnson, 2019) is a newly developed therapeutic modality. In this study, we used a randomized controlled trial (Clinical Trial Registration NCT04719780) intent-to-treat design to examine the effects of 15 sessions of EFIT in comparison with a 15-week wait-list control on general symptom distress and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Eighty-eight participants who met the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder and comorbid anxiety, as determined by the Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, were randomized to an EFIT treatment group (n = 44) or to a wait-list control group (n = 44). Average age was 35.73 years (SD = 12.28). Sixty-three percent identified as women, and 37% identified as male. In terms of ethnicity, 73% identified as White, 1.3% as Black, 7.7% as Southeast Asian, 7.7% as East Asian, 3.8% as Latinx, and 2.6% as First Nation. Participants completed the Outcome Questionnaire-30.2, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-Depression scale, and the PROMIS-Anxiety scale. Multilevel modeling results confirmed a significant difference in growth curves between the treatment group and controls on all measures. Follow-up analyses demonstrated significant reductions in symptom distress (Outcome Questionnaire-30.2) and symptoms of depression and anxiety (PROMIS-Depression and PROMIS-Anxiety) across 15 weeks. Overall, the results of this study suggest that EFIT leads to significant symptom reduction among people with depression and anxiety. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).