  We propose a geometry-specific, mode-selective quantization scheme in coupled
field-emitter systems which makes it easy to include material and geometrical
properties, intrinsic losses as well as the positions of an arbitrary number of
quantum emitters. The method is presented through the example of a spherically
symmetric, non-magnetic, arbitrarily layered system. We follow it up by a
framework to project the system on simpler, effective cavity QED models.
Maintaining a well-defined connection to the original quantization, we derive
the emerging effective quantities from the full, mode-selective model in a
mathematically consistent way. We discuss the uses and limitations of these
effective models.
