Sue Johnson

What Sue Johnson does

Sue Johnson, legally Susan Johnson, Inc., is a personal brand and legacy publishing entity built around the work of the late Dr. Sue Johnson, a Canadian clinical psychologist who developed Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) beginning in the 1980s. Dr. Johnson passed away on April 23, 2024, and the entity now operates drsuejohnson.com as a memorial and continuing-resource platform. The office footprint is anchored in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, though firmographic records list Chicora, Pennsylvania (an inconsistency reflecting post-mortem data hygiene rather than operational geography). Headcount is approximately 5 employees per firmographic data, consistent with a lean publishing and licensing operation rather than a scaled services business.

The portfolio centers on EFT, a research-supported therapeutic approach grounded in attachment science, delivered across three proprietary modalities — Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT), Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). Consumer-facing products include bestselling books (Hold Me Tight, Love Sense, Created for Connection, Attachment Theory in Practice, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Trauma, A Primer for EFIT, and the Edgar and Elouise fiction saga), the Hold Me Tight Online digital program, and the Created for Connection Online program for Christian couples. Specialized offerings include Healing Hearts Together for cardiac patients and Hold Me Tight family programs for parents of teens and adult children. The Growing Through Connection podcast extends reach via YouTube and podcast platforms. On the professional side, ICEEFT (International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy) — founded by Dr. Johnson — provides global training, externships, and certification, supported by a worldwide network of certified EFT practitioners and trainers.

The business model is multi-stream but small-scale. Revenue derives from book royalties through major retailers and publishers (Guilford Press and others), DTC digital subscriptions or one-time purchases for online programs, in-person workshop fees routed through certified facilitators, and professional training and certification fees routed through ICEEFT. The "Hold Me Tight" mark is registered. Distribution combines major retail (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo), DTC digital storefronts (holdmetightonline.com, createdforconnectiononline.com), and the ICEEFT global channel. Marketing is event- and content-driven, leveraging bestselling books, podcast distribution, media appearances (Tim Ferriss Show, Armchair Expert, CBC, The New York Times, TIME), and the practitioner directory as top- and mid-funnel channels. Customer segments span couples, individuals, families, mental health professionals, Christian couples, and cardiac patients, served through a hybrid segmentation approach. The legal entity is private, with no funding history, no subsidiaries, and no parent company.

Name

Sue Johnson

Legal name

Susan Johnson, Inc.

Website

https://drsuejohnson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sue Johnson is the legacy publishing and training entity of the late Dr. Sue Johnson, offering Emotionally Focused Therapy-based books, online programs, therapist training via ICEEFT, and specialized programs for couples, individuals, families, and professionals worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Psychotherapy Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLALAEAG

Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Behavioral & Mental Health Teletherapy Platforms

SECONDARYHLALAEAL

Grief, Trauma & PTSD-Focused Teletherapy Platforms

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Behavioral & Mental Health Teletherapy Platforms

Keywords

• Emotionally focused therapy
• Couples therapy
• Relationship counseling
• Attachment-based therapy
• Therapist training

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Dr. Johnson authored multiple bestselling books including Hold Me Tight, Love Sense, Created for Connection, Attachment Theory in Practice, and others published by Guilford Press and others, sold through major retailers globally.
2. Hold Me Tight Online Program: Interactive online program for couples accessible via subscription or one-time purchase, delivering EFT-based relationship education digitally.
3. EFT Training and Certification: ICEEFT provides comprehensive training programs, workshops, and professional certification for therapists worldwide, creating a global network of certified EFT practitioners.
4. Hold Me Tight Workshops: In-person workshop programs for couples delivered globally through certified facilitators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dr. Sue Johnson developed Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a research-supported therapeutic methodology rooted in attachment science for strengthening emotional bonds in couples, individuals, and families. The portfolio includes bestselling consumer books (Hold Me Tight, Love Sense, Created for Connection), professional clinical texts (Attachment Theory in Practice, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Trauma, EFIT Primer), subscription-based online programs (Hold Me Tight Online, Created for Connection Online), in-person couple workshops (Hold Me Tight Workshops), specialized programs (Healing Hearts Together for cardiac patients, Hold Me Tight Family Programs), the Edgar and Elouise fiction series, and certified therapist training through the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).

Product overview

Dr. Sue Johnson's offerings center on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a research-based therapeutic approach she developed for couples, individuals, and families. The portfolio includes bestselling books for the general public (Hold Me Tight, Love Sense, Created for Connection, Edgar and Elouise), professional texts for clinicians (Attachment Theory in Practice, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Trauma, A Primer for EFIT), and online programs (Hold Me Tight Online, Created for Connection Online). Specialized offerings include Healing Hearts Together for cardiac patients and family programs for parents and teens. The Growing Through Connection Podcast extends her teaching through audio content, while the EFT World Summit 2027 event brings the global practitioner community together. ICEEFT serves as the overarching organization supporting training and certification worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hold Me Tight (Book) Bestselling relationship book offering a groundbreaking approach to building stronger, more secure relationships through seven pivotal conversations grounded in EFT principles. For general readers, couples, and families seeking practical, evidence-based relationship guidance.
• Hold Me Tight Workbook Practical companion workbook to the Hold Me Tight book with exercises, conversation prompts, and science-backed activities to foster secure emotional connections in couples. For couples seeking structured activities and reflection prompts to apply EFT principles.
• Hold Me Tight Online Fully interactive online program for couples that brings the transformative power of the Hold Me Tight Program to participants' schedules, enabling them to connect, grow, and build secure bonds from home. For couples seeking self-guided relationship education.
• Hold Me Tight Workshops In-person workshop programs for couples that use conversations from the Hold Me Tight book to create stronger, more secure relationships. Delivered globally by certified Hold Me Tight facilitators.
• Love Sense (Book) Book revealing the groundbreaking science behind romantic relationships, framing love as an attachment bond as vital as the one between parent and child. For general readers and couples interested in the science of romantic love.
• Created for Connection (Book) Adaptation of Hold Me Tight specifically for Christian couples, co-authored with Kenneth Sanderfer, blending EFT principles with biblical teachings. For Christian couples seeking relationship strengthening integrated with faith.
• Created for Connection Online Online version of the Created for Connection program tailored for Christian couples, delivered via subscription or online access. For Christian couples seeking faith-integrated relationship education online.
• Attachment Theory in Practice (Book) Professional text for mental health clinicians on applying EFT with individuals, couples, and families, drawing on cutting-edge research in adult attachment. For licensed therapists and clinical practitioners.
• Emotionally Focused Therapy for Trauma (Book) Clinician's guide showing how EFT is suited to target core elements of recovery from chronic, cumulative, or acute trauma, using dance and the tango as session metaphors. For mental health professionals working with trauma survivors.
• A Primer for Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) Accessible guide for clinicians on applying EFT to individual clients, co-authored with T. Leanne Campbell, introducing core principles and interventions of EFIT. For therapists and clinical professionals working with individual clients.
• Healing Hearts Together Program designed for couples dealing with cardiac challenges, applying EFT principles to help them navigate health-related relationship issues. For couples facing cardiac illness and recovery.
• Hold Me Tight Family Programs Programs for families with teens and families with adult children, applying Hold Me Tight principles to family dynamics. For parents and adult children seeking to strengthen family relationships.
• Edgar and Elouise (Sagas 1 and 2) Whimsical fiction saga for readers of all ages featuring talking animals Edgar the crow and Elouise the fox, exploring themes of love, friendship, courage, and connection. For general readers, families, and young readers.
• EFT Training and Certification (via ICEEFT) Comprehensive training programs, workshops, externships, and professional certification for therapists seeking to learn, practice, and research Emotionally Focused Therapy. Delivered by certified EFT trainers and training centers through the ICEEFT global network. For licensed therapists, counselors, and mental health professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Proven long-lasting success rates in relationship therapy
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ICEEFT (International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Sue Johnson was the founder and Director of ICEEFT, which was established to ensure the highest standards of education, certification, and research in EFT. ICEEFT provides comprehensive training programs, workshops, and resources for therapists worldwide.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Imago Relationships International: Imago Relationships International offers Imago Relationship Therapy training and a global network of certified therapists delivering workshops for couples. Both operate a therapy-methodology-plus-training-plus-workshop business model serving couples seeking evidence-based relationship improvement.
• The Gottman Institute: The Gottman Institute is the closest direct peer: a research-based couples therapy methodology founded by Dr. John Gottman, offering therapist certification, bestselling books (The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work), workshops, and online programs for couples — paralleling Dr. Johnson's EFT training, books, and Hold Me Tight Online structure.
• Prepare-Enrich: Prepare-Enrich provides relationship and marriage assessment tools plus facilitator certification programs used by counselors, pastors, and educators worldwide — similar model of certifying professionals to deliver relationship education to couples and families.
• The Couples Institute: The Couples Institute offers training, supervision, and certification for therapists working with couples, including specialized modalities. Directly comparable to ICEEFT in mission and operating model, though smaller in scale and global reach.

Emerging players

• Lasting: Lasting is a couples therapy app offering self-guided relationship education and digital tools to consumers. Comparable as a consumer-facing digital platform addressing the same relationship-improvement segment as Hold Me Tight Online, but with a different (self-help, not therapy-certification) business model.
• Esther Perel: Esther Perel has built a personal brand around relational therapy through bestselling books, a top-ranked podcast (Where Should We Begin?), and couples therapy resources. Comparable as a practitioner-author with similar media presence, though less focused on a codified, certifiable clinical methodology.

Others

• BetterHelp: BetterHelp is the largest consumer online therapy platform, connecting individuals and couples to licensed therapists via subscription. Tangentially comparable as a digital delivery channel for couples therapy, though it is not a methodology owner or therapist certification body.
• Talkspace: Talkspace is an online therapy platform offering couples and individual therapy via subscription. Comparable as an adjacent couples therapy delivery channel; not a methodology certifier or training organization.
• Psychotherapy Networker (Psychotherapy magazine): Psychotherapy Networker is a longstanding publication and continuing-education provider serving the psychotherapy profession. Comparable as a therapist-audience media/training channel that influences methodological adoption, though broader than couples specialty.

Broad incumbents

• PESI: PESI is a much larger continuing-education provider offering mental health professional training, certifications, and conferences across many therapy modalities — overlapping with ICEEFT's therapist-training function but serving a broader clinical audience without specializing in couples therapy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sue-johnson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sue Johnson