Dr. Sue Johnson, EFT Founder
Dr. Sue Johnson (1947–2024) was the clinical psychologist who developed Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a research-based model that helps individuals, couples, and families create stronger emotional bonds.
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Beginning in the 1980s, Dr. Johnson integrated experiential therapy with the attachment research of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth to create a structured approach that helps people recognize patterns of disconnection and build secure emotional connection. Today EFT is one of the most widely researched and effective models of couples therapy.
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Dr. Johnson also founded the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT) to support training, research, and global collaboration among EFT therapists. Her work continues to influence clinicians and communities around the world, including EFT Tampa Bay.
The Development of Emotionally Focused Therapy
Emotionally Focused Therapy emerged in the 1980s through clinical research exploring how couples experience emotional distress and disconnection. Dr. Sue Johnson and her colleagues identified recurring patterns in relationship conflict and developed a structured therapeutic process to help partners move from reactive cycles toward secure emotional bonding.
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EFT is grounded in attachment science, which demonstrates that humans are wired for connection and emotional responsiveness. When relationships feel unsafe or disconnected, people often fall into negative interaction cycles driven by fear, protest, or withdrawal. EFT helps partners identify these cycles, access deeper emotions and attachment needs, and create new experiences of responsiveness and trust.
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Over the past several decades, EFT has become one of the most researched and validated models of couple therapy, with strong evidence supporting its effectiveness in helping couples repair distress and strengthen emotional bonds. The model has since expanded beyond couples therapy to include Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT).
In Memory of Dr. Katherine McKay
Dr. Katherine McKay was a founding member of the EFT Tampa Bay community and a Certified Emotionally Focused Therapy Therapist and Supervisor. She was a gifted clinician, mentor, and friend whose warmth, wisdom, and generosity deeply enriched our community.
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Katherine was instrumental in helping bring EFT training to the Tampa Bay region and was especially passionate about expanding opportunities for diverse therapists and improving access to care for underserved communities. Her commitment to excellence, inclusion, and compassionate service helped shape the mission and spirit of our organization.
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Those who worked alongside Katherine remember her as patient, thoughtful, and deeply supportive of others’ growth. Her legacy lives on in the clinicians she mentored, the community she helped build, and the many lives touched by her work.
