The 'Hold Me Tight'® Course

The relationship course ‘Hold Me Tight’

The preventative relationship course ‘Hold Me Tight‘ offers couples a safe space where they can reflect on the strong aspects of their relationship and the aspects that still need care and attention. The ‘Hold Me Tight’ course is a great opportunity for couples to make time for each other and work together on repairing, strengthening and protecting their bond and mutual love.

Relationship transforming results, no therapy!

The relationship course ‘Hold Me Tight’ is for couples in a serious relationship who would like to take a deeper look into their relationship without directly going to therapy. As the relationship course ‘Hold Me Tight’ is no therapy it is not suitable for couples with serious relationship problems. These couples benefit more from couples therapy.

The relationship course ‘Hold Me Tight’ is based on Emotionally Focused Therapy. The course is interactive, instructive and delivers results that transform your relationship. As a couple you will learn how to build a closer and safer relationship together. You do this by learning to recognise the patterns that currently have a negative influence on your relationship and adapting them to create positive results.

What can you expect?

‘Hold Me Tight’ addresses 7 topics which are crucial in a healthy, warm and loving relationship. Each session starts by me introducing the topic with some explanation and a videoclip of a couple having a meaningful conversation and exchange of feelings on the topic. After watching this videoclip, you and your partner are also going to have such a transforming conversation. Don’t worry, I will be there to guide you, where and if needed.

The 7 Transforming Conversations:

• Recognizing Demon Dialogues: In this first conversation, you identify your negative and destructive pattern of arguing in order to get to the root of the problem and figure out what you both are really trying to say.
• Finding the Raw Spots: Here, you and your partner learn to look beyond immediate, impulsive reactions so you can figure out which raw spots are being hit.
• Revisiting a Rocky Moment: This conversation provides a platform for de-escalating conflict, repairing rifts in a relationship and building emotional safety.
• Hold Me Tight: The heart of the program: this conversation moves you and your partner into being more accessible, emotionally responsive, and deeply engaged with each other.
• Forgiving Injuries: Injuries may be forgiven but they never disappear. Instead, they need to become integrated into couples’ conversations as demonstrations of renewal and connection. Knowing how to find and offer forgiveness empowers couples to strengthen their bond.
• Bonding Through Sex and Touch: Here, you and your partner will find how emotional connection creates great sex, and good sex creates deeper emotional connection.
• Keeping Your Love Alive: This last conversation is built on the understanding that love is a continual process of losing and finding emotional connection; it asks couples to be deliberate and mindful about maintaining connection.

You also get assignments that you should carry out at home. This “homework” consists of having focused short conversations that help retain what you have learned. These conversations are a start for creating a new pattern of loving interactions.

The relationship course ‘Hold Me Tight’ teaches you among other things how to:

• better understand your own reactions and needs, and those of each other,
• recognise and influence mutual reactions that bring pain and distance in your relationship,
• reduce tensions, stress, and conflicts in your relationship,
• forgive old pains,
• show your commitment to your partner,
• facilitate intimacy and pleasure with each other,
• keep your love alive.

Privately or in a group?

I offer two types of the relationship course: the private course and the group course. Please choose the one that you are most comfortable with.

• The private course

In the private course is just for you and your partner. I will counsel and guide you privately. There will be no other couples present during our sessions.

I will adapt your private ‘Hold Me Tight’ course so it is tailor-made for your situation. The private course is more comprehensive. We will go much deeper into what is at play within your relationship.

The private course consists of 8 sessions.

• The group course

A group consists of a minimum of 2 couples and a maximum of 6 couples. I like to keep the groups small, intimate and cosy. I will be your facilitator but I may have a colleague assisting me.

There will be NO group assignments, only assignments that you will carry out as a couple. I will a provide a safe place where you can have private conversations just between yourselves. You do not need to share anything about your conversations with others in the group, but there is an opportunity to do so if you wish. It can be inspiring and supportive to see other couples grappling with similar issues.

The group course may consist of 8 sessions of about 2 hours or 4 sessions of about 4 hours.

Register for the ‘Hold Me Tight’ course

When you register for the relationship course ‘Hold Me Tight’ you get:

• 8 sessions,
• all the necessary course material,
• one copy of Sue Johnson’s course book ‘Hold Me Tight’,
• a follow-up session 6 to 12 months after the course,
• coffee, tea, and always something tasty.