Attachment Theory in Practice: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with Individuals, Couples, and Families

This is a fantastic book and one of the best resources I’ve read on attachment theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Dr. Sue Johnson presents complex concepts in a way that is both engaging and practical, making it an invaluable resource for students, new clinicians, and experienced therapists alike. As a marriage and family therapy intern, I have found myself referring back to this book repeatedly. It has deepened my understanding of attachment, strengthened my clinical work with individuals, couples, and families, and helped me better recognize the emotional patterns that drive relationships. Whether you are a therapist, graduate student, or simply someone who wants to better understand relationships and secure attachment, this book is well worth reading. It has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf and is one that I know I will continue to use throughout my career.

In the age of virtual (dis)connection, concerning high rates of depression and anxiety, and the importance of self-reliance and individualism, this book comes as a lighthouse of hope and direction. Attachment Theory in Practice is a must-have for any therapist who is looking to deepen their work and bring desired transformation and change to their clients’ lives. The book provides a beautiful overview of the current state of the mental health field and the need for focusing on emotion, attachment and connection in psychotherapy. Dr. Johnson reminds us that “in order to shape optimal regulation that allows clients to harness their emotions for growth and aliveness, therapists have to ensure that clients are actively engaged with an emotional reality.” She echoes the findings from research on emotion regulation and suggests that “coregulation, rather than solo self-regulation, is the baseline, normal, and most-efficient strategy for us as social animals.” Dr. Jonson clearly posits that change is an emotional and an interpersonal phenomenon. The book also outlines very practical guidance to working with couples, individuals, and families using the the attachment framework and EFT. As a therapist who is interested in science and empiricism, I am delighted to see the tremendous amount of research support EFT for couples has received over the past decade and I look forward to learning more about the findings in the areas of EFIT and EFFT.

In a field of books about EFT, Sue Johnson’s new book provides an up-to-date summary of the latest developments in the EFT method, including applications for individual, couple and family therapy. Having been a student of EFT for 12 years or more, this book was more than a repetition of the fundamentals of the method, its stages and steps, which appear in her earlier books and have been elaborated by other authors. Here, I found her efforts to situate EFT conceptually in the field of psychotherapy, not only its attitude toward defining health and distress, but the underlying principles for its attitude toward how change occurs and its unique principles for how therapists help clients (individual, couple or family) foster change in themselves and their lives. She explains and illustrates the use of the EFT Tango moves, which implement the EFT method within the clinical dialogue and actualize the change process. No doubt, this book will become a primary source for future EFT training and is worth both reading and mastering cover-to-cover.

I am really digging in to this. Even though it is an academic book, I find it highly readable and pragmatic. I am chewing slowly on pieces and am using my attachment TANGO (read the book) with my individual clients to great effect. Previously I would use an attachment frame but it wasn’t as focused and organized. Really an orienting perspective. Of course I am also integrating this precisely written guide with my couples, as I am an EFT couple therapist. And for classroom teaching the first few chapters alone highlight—and back up with research the reliability of attachment as a unifying frame. I call it my “map for human” and it Really is. Thank you Sur for putting all that research in one place.

Pretty simple, yet we're so messed up in our thinking and relating. Sue does a terrific job reminding us how to be human. It's more than another psychological theory. It's more important than that. It's about living the life--being the person--you were designed for. The world spits tons of messages at us about who we are that are just flat out wrong. Sue's books help you start putting the puzzle back together--to get back what we've allowed to slip away. Worth the read.

The book was packaged well and arrived in perfect condition. It also arrived early which was great. I recommend this book seller. I read Susan M. Johnson’s other book on EFT, “Hold Me Tight” and found it extremely helpful with my therapy clients. I’m excited to dive into this book too!

Sue Johnson has done it again! She is on the cutting edge of Attachment Science and is leading the way in helping us humans join other humans on our journey of healing! As a therapist, she has impacted how I work and practice the art of connecting. Thanks Sue!! Great job! This book has expanded Emotionally Focused Therapy so that no one is missing out.... individuals, couples, and families can all be impacted by the process of emotional resonance, regulation and revision. Thank you!

As much as I admire Dr. Johnson and her work, the writing is not good in this book. The ideas are very useful but the reader must slog through complex, turgid sentences and multiple grammatical errors to get the points. I wish more writers had good editing and didn’t submit such poor writing for publication. Dr. Johnson is not alone in this criticism. I think many writers have been trained to write circuitous sentences and that results in the reader working unnecessarily hard to grasp the meaning of the ideas. That said, I am very impressed by her use of research that supports her writing and the ideas she presents. I hope that future publications are more carefully edited before they are published, with the reader in mind. And if you wonder if I am uneducated, rest assured that I have a doctorate in clinical psychology and 20 years post license experience.

Excellent book that clearly lays out the theory of attachment science and goes on to poignantly demonstrate the application of theory for helping clients to make profound and sustainable changes.

Given that there are over 400 types of therapies, how do you make sense of them and find some integrating theory? A fascinating and compelling option is attachment theory which suggests that many emotional challenges started with a poor or dysfunctional attachment in early childhood. I really enjoyed this book and I keep coming back to its central theme.

Excelente material, elemental

I purchased this book to complement an online tutorial and found it both informative and digestible. I also found it detailed yet straightforward to understand, the condition was perfect and as a result would highly recommend both the book and seller.

It’s a very informative book on attachment, with a lot of exercises. It takes a lot of work to go through it, but it’s worth it. I recommend it as a self therapy, just give yourself time.