Dr. Sue Johnson

Dr. Sue Johnson—author, clinical psychologist, researcher, professor, popular presenter, and speaker—was an innovative leader in the field of couple therapy and adult attachment. Sue was the primary developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which has proven its effectiveness in over 35 years of peer-reviewed clinical research.

Sue was also the founding director of the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT) and a Distinguished Research Professor at Alliant University in San Diego, California, as well as Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Sue received a variety of awards recognizing her development of EFT and international training and certification program, and other significant contributions in the field of couple and family therapy and adult attachment, including the Order of Canada and the 2022 Psychotherapy Networker Lifetime Achievement Award. (See list of awards).

Written for the general public, Hold Me Tight, Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love (2008), is a self-help version of her groundbreaking research: how to improve relationships, how to repair them, and how to maintain them. This bestseller has sold over a million copies worldwide, has been translated into 30 languages, and now has a companion, The Hold Me Tight Workbook, published in 2022. The book became the Hold Me Tight® Relationship Education and Enhancement Program, with workshops taking place around the world and also offered in an online format (HoldMeTightOnline.com). The program has been translated into numerous languages and adapted for specific groups, such as couples facing heart disease, families with adolescents, families with adult children, and Christian couples.

Sue’s second book for the general public, Love Sense, The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships (2013), describes the new logical understanding of why and how we love, based on new scientific evidence and cutting-edge research. Explaining that romantic love is based on an attachment bond, Dr. Johnson shows how to develop our “love sense,” our ability to develop lasting relationships.

Johnson’s best-known professional books include The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connection (3rd edition, 2020), Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (2019), and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy with Trauma Survivors (2002). Attachment Theory in Practice: EFT with Individuals, Couples, and Families (2019), delineates the promise of attachment science in terms of making sense of and repairing our most precious relationships and thriving as strong, resilient individuals. Attachment science offers us the most powerful model for therapeutic change, especially when it comes to anxiety and depression, and that, of all the intervention models, EFT most closely captures the essence of the attachment perspective. EFT, addresses the defining characteristic of human connection oriented to survival, that is, strong emotion. And it systematically shapes the core bonding interactions with others. Sue’s most recent professional book, A Primer for Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), published in 2021, highlights the unique benefits of EFT as a cross-modality approach to treating emotional disorders in individuals.

Published in late 2022, Edgar and Elouise – Sagas 1 and 2, is Sue’s first work of fiction. It tells the story of a group of fascinating animals who learn to discover who they are, face fear and danger in the face of overwhelming odds, and come together to fight and save their world.

Dr. Johnson trained EFT counselors worldwide and consulted with the 89 international institutes and affiliated centers that practice EFT. She also consulted with Veterans Affairs Canada and the American and Canadian militaries.

Awards

Psychotherapy Networker Lifetime Achievement Award 2022.
2017 Awarded the Order of Canada.
APA Family Psychologist of the Year 2016 – American Psychological Association, Div. 43.
2014 Invited to give the 21st John Bowlby Memorial Conference at the 2014 John Bowlby Memorial Conference, London, UK.
2013 Professional Training Award – American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
2009 Lifetime Achievement Award – Belgian Association for Couple and Family Therapy.
2005 Family Therapy Research Award – American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA).
2003 Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), Family Division – Susan Johnson was named a fellow in recognition of her contribution to this field.
2003 Excellence in Education Teaching Award – University of Ottawa.
2001 Women of Distinction Award for work in health and wellness – YMCA.
2000 Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy Award – American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

Books by Dr. Johnson

For a complete list of books by Dr. Johnson, please click here.

Publications by Dr. Johnson

To see EFT Books, EFT chapters, articles by EFT and research publications by EFT by Dr. Johnson and others, see the reference lists available in the Resources for Therapists menu.