Free Therapist Training›EFT Couples Therapy Toolkit›Recording Review Form
Last updated: November 11, 2026
A recording review form for emotionally focused couples therapy (EFCT) is a page a supervisor fills in while watching a short segment of a supervisee's session. It records the segment and the supervisee's question, checks that both partners gave written consent to the recording, rates ten therapist behaviors seen on the recording, and ends with one skill to rehearse and a practice plan.
A completed example shows R.S., a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), reviewing session 8 of D.M.'s work with Marcus and Lena, an invented couple. The form is the supervision piece of the free EFT Couples Therapy Toolkit from the Sentio MFT program, which teaches EFCT among the therapy models in its curriculum.
These are some items to consider when you review a recording of a supervisee's EFCT session. Use what fits the supervisee and your setting. It is not an official form, just some helpful ideas from the Sentio MFT program.
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| Item | Entry |
|---|---|
| Supervisee, supervisor and date of review | |
| Session number and date; stage and step | |
| Segment reviewed | Start and end time stamps, five to ten minutes |
| Why the supervisee chose this segment | The supervisee's question for supervision |
| Written consent to record | On file for each partner: Yes / No |
Rating: NO, not observed in this segment; 1, beginning; 2, developing; 3, consistent.
| Therapist behavior | What it looks like on the recording | Rating | Time stamps and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracking and reflecting the cycle | Names the sequence of moves as it happens, in the couple's words, without blaming either partner | ||
| Validating both partners | Conveys that each partner's reaction makes sense; the alliance stays balanced | ||
| Evocative questions | Open questions that invite the emotion underneath the position | ||
| Heightening | Slows down and repeats key words or images so an emerging emotion stays in focus | ||
| Empathic conjecture | Offers a tentative guess at an emotion just beyond what the partner has said, and checks it with the partner | ||
| Reframing | Describes the problem in terms of the cycle and attachment needs | ||
| Setting up an enactment | Asks one partner to turn to the other and share an emotion or a need | ||
| Processing the enactment | Asks the speaker how it was to say it and the listener how it was to hear it | ||
| Managing escalation | Slows or blocks an escalating exchange and restores safety for both partners | ||
| Pacing and voice | Slow, soft, simple words; uses the partner's own words and images |
| Summary | Entry |
|---|---|
| Strengths in this segment | |
| Moments to replay together | Time stamps |
| One skill to rehearse next | |
| Practice plan | The exercise, the number of rehearsals and who plays the partners |
| Follow-up | The next recording to review and when |
For formal fidelity rating in research or training, use the published EFT Therapist Fidelity Scale (Denton et al., 2009).
What Does a Completed Recording Review Look Like?
Marcus and Lena are an invented couple, and D.M., an associate marriage and family therapist (AMFT), is their therapist. In the example, D.M.'s supervisor, R.S., reviews the segment from 18:40 to 26:10 of session 8, recorded with both partners' written consent, and chooses heightening as the skill to rehearse.
| Item | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Supervisee, supervisor and date of review | D.M., AMFT; R.S., LMFT; two days after the session |
| Session number and date; stage and step | Session 8, October 27, 2026; Stage 1, steps 2 and 3 |
| Segment reviewed | 18:40 to 26:10 |
| Why the supervisee chose this segment | "Lena cried and I wasn't sure whether to stay with her or bring Marcus in." |
| Written consent to record | On file for both partners: Yes |
| Therapist behavior | Rating | Time stamps and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking and reflecting the cycle | 3 | 18:52: "You texted, she didn't answer, she went upstairs, you followed." Clear, in their words, no blame. |
| Validating both partners | 2 | 20:10: validated Lena's going quiet; Marcus's frustration went unacknowledged and he looked away. |
| Evocative questions | 3 | 21:05: "What happens inside you when he follows you up the stairs?" |
| Heightening | 2 | 22:30: repeated "already failed him," then moved on within one exchange after Lena began to cry. |
| Empathic conjecture | 3 | 21:40: "Maybe part of you is sure you've already failed him?" Tentative, and checked with Lena. |
| Reframing | 1 | Not yet expected at this step; one brief attempt at 25:50. |
| Setting up an enactment | 3 | 23:15: asked Lena to turn to Marcus and tell him what she had found. Good timing. |
| Processing the enactment | 2 | 25:20: asked Marcus how it was to hear it; did not ask Lena how it was to say it. |
| Managing escalation | NO | No escalation in this segment. |
| Pacing and voice | 2 | Soft voice throughout; slowed down when Lena cried (22:30), then sped up again as the focus moved on (23:00). |
| Summary | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Strengths in this segment | Clear tracking; a well-timed conjecture; the enactment came at the right moment and Marcus responded |
| Moments to replay together | 20:10 (Marcus left out), 22:30 (moving on from Lena's tears), 25:20 (processing with one partner only) |
| One skill to rehearse next | Heightening: stay with an emerging emotion for three or four more exchanges, slowly, before moving on |
| Practice plan | Exercise 2, Evocative Reflection: Eliciting and Heightening Emotional Experience, from Deliberate Practice in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy; five rehearsals with R.S. playing Lena; then Exercise 3, Validating Partners' Experiences and Tracking Dysfunctional Patterns, for Marcus's frustration |
| Follow-up | Review the session 10 recording at the next supervision meeting |
How Do You Review an EFCT Recording in Supervision?
Ask the supervisee to pick a segment of five to ten minutes and a question about it, confirm that both partners' written consent is on file, then watch the segment together, rate what you see with time stamps, and end with one skill to rehearse. Before the meeting, the supervisee notes the session's stage and step, using the stages and steps quick reference.
Rate against the step the couple is in. Reframing the problem in terms of the cycle and attachment needs is the task of step 4 (Johnson et al., 1999), so the example does not expect it yet at steps 2 and 3. Watch the segment once through, replay the moments you marked, and rate only what the recording shows.
Written consent comes before any recording. Standard 3.5 of the CAMFT Code of Ethics calls for written informed consent from clients before recording (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, 2025), and in California, Penal Code section 632 makes it a crime to intentionally record a confidential communication without the consent of all parties. In couples therapy, get written consent from both partners before the session is recorded.
Which Therapist Behaviors Should a Supervisor Look For?
Look for the interventions Johnson described for EFCT: reflecting and validating each partner, evocative questions, heightening, empathic conjecture, tracking and reframing the cycle, and enactments (Johnson, 2007; Wiebe & Johnson, 2016). The form's first eight rows follow these lists.
Wiebe and Johnson (2016) sort the interventions into two sets. The experiential set (reflection, evocative questions, validation, heightening and empathic conjecture) works with each partner's emotional experience, and the systemic set (reframing, reflecting interactional patterns, and directing and sculpting new interactions) works with the pattern between the partners.
The last two rows, managing escalation and pacing and voice, go beyond those lists. The APA deliberate practice book has exercises that match both (Levenson et al., 2025). For escalation, see Exercise 11, Interrupting Negative Process Early in Therapy: Catching the Bullet I, and Exercise 12, Interrupting Negative Process Later in Therapy: Catching the Bullet II; for pacing and voice, see Exercise 5, Deepening Emotions With RISSSSC: Speaking Simply, Slowly, and Softly. The two enactment rows follow the third and fourth moves of the EFT Tango, listed in the stages and steps quick reference.
How Is This Different from the EFT Therapist Fidelity Scale?
The EFT Therapist Fidelity Scale (EFT-TFS) is a published 13-item measure of a therapist's fidelity to EFCT (Denton et al., 2009). This form is a supervision aid for one short segment, and its ratings lead to a practice plan.
Use the published scale when a study or a training program calls for a formal fidelity rating. Denton et al. (2009) present the 13 items in the original article, which is free to read on PubMed Central.
The form's four-level rating (not observed, beginning, developing, consistent) describes one supervisee on one segment. It is a starting point for the supervision conversation, not a score to compare across therapists.
How Do You Turn a Review into Deliberate Practice?
Choose the one skill from the review, rehearse it in role-play with feedback until it comes more easily, and then look for it in the next recording. In the example, R.S. plays Lena for five rehearsals of Exercise 2, then moves to Exercise 3 for Marcus's frustration, and the session 10 recording is the next one to review.
The exercises in Deliberate Practice in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy fit this step (Levenson et al., 2025). They are role-plays in which two trainees act as client and therapist under a supervisor's guidance; the first 12 exercises each focus on a single skill, with client statements at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.
For supervisors who want deliberate practice in every meeting, the free clinical supervisor training covers its use in individual and group supervision. The free clinical supervision toolkit adds templates for supervision notes, logs, goals and evaluations.
Practice next
Rehearse heightening, the skill R.S. chose for D.M.: when an emotion starts to emerge, stay with it for a few more exchanges, slowly and in the partner's own words. Use Exercise 2, Evocative Reflection: Eliciting and Heightening Emotional Experience, in Deliberate Practice in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, and Exercise 5, Deepening Emotions With RISSSSC: Speaking Simply, Slowly, and Softly, for pacing and voice. Sam Jinich and Hanna Levenson demonstrate exercises from the book in the free deliberate practice webinar, and the free EFCT crash course reviews primary and secondary emotion.
Keep reading
EFT Progress Note Template for Couples Therapy, a session note and a DAP version, filled in for the same session 8
EFT Stages and Steps, a quick reference to the stages, steps, change events and the five moves of the EFT Tango
Free Clinical Supervision Toolkit, templates for supervision session notes, logs, goals and evaluations
Clinical Supervisor Training, free training in deliberate practice for individual and group supervision
Free EFT Couples Therapy Toolkit, every template in the toolkit, from the first sessions to supervision
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need client consent to record couples sessions?
Yes. Standard 3.5 of the Code of Ethics of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) calls for written informed consent from clients before recording, and California Penal Code section 632 makes it a crime to intentionally record a confidential communication without the consent of all parties. In couples therapy, get written consent from both partners before you record.
How long a segment should we review?
The form suggests five to ten minutes, chosen by the supervisee around a question for supervision. A segment that short leaves time in the same meeting to replay moments, agree on one skill and start rehearsing it.
Can peers use this form?
Yes. In a peer consultation group, one clinician brings a consented segment and a question, the group rates what it sees, and the clinician leaves with one skill to rehearse. Make sure both partners' written consent covers who will watch the recording. The DP Consultation Group offers ongoing peer consultation for supervisors and trainers who build deliberate practice into their work.
Is this form a fidelity measure?
No. It is a supervision aid for rating one short segment and planning practice. For a formal fidelity rating, use the published EFT Therapist Fidelity Scale, a 13-item measure of therapist fidelity described by Denton et al. (2009).
Does this form count toward EFT certification?
No. It is a training aid from the Sentio MFT program. For certification requirements, see the certification page of the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
References
Cal. Penal Code § 632. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=632
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. (2025). CAMFT code of ethics. https://www.camft.org/ethicscode
Denton, W. H., Johnson, S. M., & Burleson, B. R. (2009). Emotion-Focused Therapy–Therapist Fidelity Scale (EFT-TFS): Conceptual development and content validity. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 8(3), 226–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332690903048820 Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2801569
International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy. (n.d.). EFT certification. https://iceeft.com/eft-certification
Johnson, S. M. (2007). The contribution of emotionally focused couples therapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 37(1), 47–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-006-9034-9
Johnson, S. M., Hunsley, J., Greenberg, L., & Schindler, D. (1999). Emotionally focused couples therapy: Status and challenges. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(1), 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.6.1.67
Levenson, H., Jinich, S., Vaz, A., & Rousmaniere, T. (2025). Deliberate practice in emotionally focused couple therapy. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000436-000 ISBN 978-1-4338-4296-2 (paperback). Book page: https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/deliberate-practice-emotionally-focused-couple-therapy
Wiebe, S. A., & Johnson, S. M. (2016). A review of the research in emotionally focused therapy for couples. Family Process, 55(3), 390–407. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12229
