Date
5-20-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
James J. Kasten
Keywords
Marriage education, EFT, attachment, experiential learning theory
Disciplines
Counseling | Psychology
Recommended Citation
Valenciano, Isabelle, "A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Facilitators Who Attended a Training Program and Led an Experiential Couple’s Workshop Influenced by the Principles of Emotionally Focused Therapy" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8393.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8393
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe relationship educators’ lived experiences of attending a facilitator training and leading an experiential couple’s workshop grounded in emotionally focused therapy. Experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1984) was the lens used to gain a better understanding of participants’ concrete, novel experiences. Marriage education programs may be an intervention method for distressed couples seeking relationship assistance, prevention, and preparation. As an intervention, marriage education programs show promise for improving several aspects of relationships (Gordon et al., 2019). The increased number of distressed couples in marriage education workshops and programs indicates the need for facilitators to undergo training to handle issues in a group setting. Facilitators should provide psychoeducation while managing the dynamics of the couples and the group. Four primary themes emerged from the data: experiencing the emotional weight of experiential facilitation, striving for coherence and depth in an experiential model, valuing emotionally focused therapy and experiential alignment, and holding hope for relational transformation. The study addresses these themes in detail and presents the implications for future research.
