Sue Johnson

At a glance

Lived 1947 to 2024. British-Canadian. Clinical Psychologist, Couple Therapist & Outcome Researcher.

Active 1985 to 2024. Landmark year 1996. Clinical era: 1990 to 2009, contextual, attachment and trauma.

Lineage: Systemic, couple and family. Roles: Modality founder or co-founder; Couple, family and systemic pioneer; Process and outcome researcher; Clinician and educator.

Associated modalities: Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT); Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT); Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT).

Clinical psychologist who co-developed emotionally focused couple therapy.

Review status: Educational draft, subject review pending. Source status: source checks not documented for this draft. Dates, sources and clinical statements require independent verification and specialist review.

Clinical overview

Sue Johnson (1947–2024) was a British-born clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa. She co-developed emotionally focused couple therapy with Leslie Greenberg and later helped develop related individual and family approaches.

The approach attends to emotion, attachment and patterns of interaction between partners. These are elements of a clinical framework, not an established explanation for every couple’s difficulties.

Historical and clinical context

In a 1985 study, Johnson and Greenberg compared an experiential intervention, a problem-solving intervention and a wait-list group in 45 couples seeking therapy. This single study does not establish the best approach for every couple.

Johnson and colleagues later studied brain responses to threat cues before and after couple therapy. The 2013 study included within-person comparison conditions but no separate control group.

Core therapeutic contributions

Adult Romantic Love as an Attachment Bond. Described couple distress using questions about accessibility, responsiveness and emotional engagement within an attachment-informed model.

The Pursue-Withdraw Negative Interaction Cycle. Described recurring interaction patterns that partners may explore together in therapy. The model does not establish one cause for every conflict.

Three Stages and Nine Steps of EFT. The clinical approach describes stages of de-escalation, restructuring interactions and consolidation; an individual couple’s experience need not follow a fixed sequence.

In the consulting room

Therapeutic stance. The approach describes attending to emotion and the interaction between partners in the therapeutic relationship.

Signature practices. Exploring emotions and recurring interaction patterns with partners; Inviting partners to express and respond to one another’s concerns; Reviewing change and the couple’s goals as the work proceeds

Common misreadings. Assuming that a single interaction pattern explains every couple’s difficulties; Assuming that joint sessions are safe or appropriate for every relationship

Landmark clinical works

1988, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (Leslie S. Greenberg and Susan M. Johnson) (manual). Clinical guide written with Leslie Greenberg; the publisher description was consulted, not the full book.

1996, The Practice of Emotionally Focused Marital Therapy: Creating Connection (manual). Clinical guide describing Johnson’s approach to emotionally focused marital therapy.

2008, Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love (book). A guide for the public based on an attachment-informed approach to relationships.

2019, Attachment Theory in Practice: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with Individuals, Couples, and Families (book). Clinical book discussing emotionally focused therapy with individuals, couples and families; the complete book was not reviewed.

Clinical critiques and limitations

The US National Domestic Violence Hotline advises against couples counselling with an abusive partner, noting that information shared in sessions can be used against the person experiencing abuse. Decisions about safety depend on the circumstances and local services.

In the 2013 imaging study, 23 couples completed all measurements and women’s brain responses were scanned; the study used within-person conditions but no separate control group, limiting causal interpretation.

The journal later corrected the study’s funding and competing-interest statement to disclose the developer’s role and the involvement of an EFT centre. These disclosures are relevant context when interpreting the study.

Clinical genealogy

Influences and mentors: Edward John Mostyn Bowlby; Leslie S. Greenberg; Carl Ransom Rogers; Salvador Minuchin.

Collaborators: Leslie S. Greenberg; James Coan; Gail Palmer; George Faller.

Students and successors: Gail Palmer; Lorrie Brubacher; Leanne Campbell.

Related reading

• ApproachesEmotion-focused and emotionally focused therapy (EFT)
• TimelineSusan M. Johnson publishes The Practice of Emotionally Focused Marital Therapy
• PeopleEdward John Mostyn Bowlby
• PeopleLeslie S. Greenberg
• PeopleCarl Ransom Rogers
• PeopleSalvador Minuchin