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Everette Coffman, PhD, an assistant professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program, presented at the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors conference held Feb. 27–28 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

He presented with graduate student Olivia King. Their session examined outcomes from the ELEVATE relationship education program, a community-based initiative designed to strengthen communication, emotional regulation, and connection among couples.

The presentation, Exploring Sociodemographic Differences in Relationship Education Outcomes: Findings from the ELEVATE Program, analyzed data from more than 3,000 participants across Florida, finding consistent improvements in relationship functioning across diverse groups. The findings highlight the potential of relationship education as a scalable, prevention-focused approach to strengthening families. King’s involvement reflects ͬÐÔÁµÉ«Çé’s commitment to integrating student mentorship with real-world research and national engagement.

In a second presentation, Coffman presented with Monica Lamie, a graduate of the MFT certificate program. Their session, Integrating EFIT into EFT: The EFT Micro-Cycle, introduced an attachment-informed, trauma-focused Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) micro-cycle to help clinicians navigate key emotional moments before deeper Stage 2 work.

Drawing from research, clinical transcript analysis, and training outcomes, the model demonstrates how therapists can enhance attunement, regulate emotional intensity, and facilitate corrective emotional experiences. Attendees engaged with applied examples and structured intervention strategies aimed at improving clinical precision when working with complex relational trauma.

The collaboration reflects the MFT program’s commitment to developing scholar-practitioners and contributes to efforts to advance EFT as an evidence-informed approach to relational and trauma-focused care.