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Determining highly desirable traits of an effective Emotional Freedom Techniques practitioner: A Delphi Study

Stapleton, P., Chatwin, H. · Energy Psychology Journal · 2017

Outcome study👥 22 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 Australia
In plain English. Twenty-two experienced EFT practitioners were surveyed across three rounds to pin down what actually makes someone good or bad at delivering tapping therapy, since no clear definition existed before. The group reached strong agreement (at least 75%) on 11 out of 15 traits that make a practitioner effective, and on 7 out of 8 traits that make one ineffective, but couldn't agree on several key training requirements. This is a small expert-consensus study about practitioner qualities rather than a trial measuring client outcomes, so it shapes training standards rather than proving EFT's efficacy.

What they found

22
people took part

Using a three-round modified Delphi technique with 22 skilled EFT practitioners, researchers reached at least 75% consensus on 11 of 15 identified traits of an effective EFT practitioner and 7 of 8 traits of an ineffective one, though consensus was not reached on several core training elements.

How the study worked

Who took partSkilled EFT practitioners (n=22)
What they didParticipants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants22 people
PopulationSkilled EFT practitioners
JournalEnergy Psychology Journal
Year2017
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

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Cite this study

APA

Stapleton, P., & Chatwin, H. (2017). Determining highly desirable traits of an effective Emotional Freedom Techniques practitioner: A Delphi Study. Energy Psychology Journal. https://doi.org/10.9769/EPJ.2017.9.2.PS

This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/tapping.

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Multiple Conditions 22 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Using a three-round modified Delphitechnique with 22 skilled EFT practitioners,researchers reached at least 75%… Outcome study · 22 participants Stapleton · 2017 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com