Why EFT Couples Therapy Is Easier Than You Think
Tell most therapists you love couples work and they look at you like a deer in headlights. Maury Holliman, LMFT, finds it easier than individual therapy. And she can tell you exactly why.
In this episode of The Art of Being a Therapist, Ashley Charbonneau and Morgen Villegas sit down with Maury. She’s a certified Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) couples therapist and an EFT supervisor candidate. Ashley has known her since 2012, so the stories run deep (they promised to be selective).
Maury talks about leaving Alabama for a Craigslist house in Denver and burning out in day treatment. She also shares why she picked an MFT program over social work, even though it meant lower pay. Then she walks through EFT in action. She explains how attachment science helps anxious pursuers slow down and avoidant withdrawers lean in. She also shares why she calls them protective mechanisms, not defense mechanisms.
You’ll also hear how to vet a couples therapist before you refer, why she won’t keep secrets between partners, and what burned-out parents of young kids are up against.
Her bottom line? The relationship can’t come last. Even when life says it has to.
Guest bio:
Maury Holliman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who specializes in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). She is certified in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. As an EFT Supervisor Candidate, she supervises LMFT and LPC candidates and offers EFT and relational consultation. Maury believes good therapy looks at the whole person, including their identities, relationships, and personal history. She is also the Peer Support Leader at her group practice. In that role, she creates chances for connection and helps build a more inclusive and diverse culture.
Guest Contact info:
Website: https://thrivefamilyservices.com/meet-maury-holliman/
Your Hosts:
Ashley Charbonneau, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, evaluator, clinical supervisor, consultant, and educator. She works with people affected by the legal system, with a focus on offender accountability, survivor healing, and restorative justice. She trains professionals across the country on restorative justice, addiction, clinical supervision, sexual offending, therapy boundaries, and mandatory reporting and is the author of The Resilient Therapist (Bloomsbury, 2026) and Supporting Clients of Sexual Trauma (PESI, 2026). Learn more at https://www.ensopllc.com/
Morgen Villegas, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, consultant, EMDRIA Consultant, and author of Shadows to Light. Through her practice, Vida Idílica Therapy & Consulting, she specializes in helping women heal from trauma, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and the lasting effects of overfunctioning and caregiving. Morgen also provides consultation to EMDR therapists seeking greater confidence and nuance in working with complex trauma. You can reach Morgen at https://www.vida-idilica.com
