Description
“Families are inherently vulnerable with each other. Because sensitive emotions of hurt feelings, fear of being rejected and the fear and hurt of being shut out creates distance that blocks the ability of parents and teens to share with each other, we get caught in negative patterns. With the Hold Me Tight® / Let Me Go program we can help families find ways to connect with and share their vulnerable feelings which allows them to reestablish connection and remove blocks to the healing of ruptures between them.”
~ Dr. Paul Aikin (Co-Author of the Hold Me Tight® / Let Me Go program)
The complete Hold Me Tight® / Let Me Go Program for Families includes:
- Facilitator’s Guide & CD by Drs. Nancy and Paul Aikin in cooperation with ICEEFT and Dr. Sue Johnson
- Supporting 2-DVD set “Conversations For Connection”
- The original Hold Me Tight® book by Dr. Sue Johnson
The Facilitator’s Guide / CD and 2-DVD set are also available individually.
Please visit https://iceeft.com/hold-me-tight-material/ to purchase one of our programs.
Facilitator's Guide & CD
The Facilitators Guide & CD provide you with all that you need to be able to present the Hold Me Tight® / Let Me Go program for families with teens.
Hold Me Tight® / Let Me Go is based on the Hold Me Tight® Program: Conversations for Connection, an educational form of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy originated by Dr. Sue Johnson and adapted for Families with Teens. It is a five session, 10 hour educational program based on the theory and practice of Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT).
In this program we seek to free up what has blocked the caregivers’ wired-in capacity to provide protection and nurturance. We also seek to free up teens so they can more safely reach for care and nurturance when needed. Hold Me Tight / Let Me Go, based on the principles of EFFT, helps families to take control of rigid patterns and clarify emotional signals about needs and fears in a way that encourages members in families to respond with openness, accessibility, responsiveness and emotional engagement. As parents work on their blocks and access their caregiving vulnerability and as their teens access their attachment needs and fears, family members express their intent to do things differently and become less emotionally reactive.
2-DVD Set
Once a family, always a family. You never stop being a family. It just changes over time.
This 2-DVD set shows 3 families, including a single parent family, who – with the help of Drs. Nancy and Paul Aikin – go through 3 of the 5 conversations that make up the Hold Me Tight/Let Me Go Program for Families with Teens. The conversations shown here are based on Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT), a scientifically proven approach to improving relationships, shown to help 7 of 10 couples move from frustration and loneliness into a secure and loving bond.
You will see families, just like yours, moving through 3 conversations:
- Conversation 1 – The Caregiver’s Attachment System and CoParent Alliance
- Conversation 3 Recognizing Family Demon Dialogues / Negative Cycles
- Conversation 5 – Hold Me Tight – Engaging and Connecting
About The Authors
Drs. Nancy and Paul Aikin are Clinical Psychologists, and Certified Trainers for Dr. Sue Johnson, the developer of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy and recognized leader in the new science of relationships. Drs. Aikin enjoy the honor of being the only husband and wife EFT CoTrainer Team. They practice in Davis, California where they train, teach, supervise and work with couples and families in their clinical practice. They also are Co-Directors of the Greater Sacramento-Davis EFT Center. They are the developers of Hold Me Tight/Let Me Go, this newly created program for Families with Teens. Drs. Aikin have trained hundreds of therapists working with individuals, couples and families for the past four decades.
A Message From Sue Johnson
“This program is based on the idea that securely attached families are possible, even during the stormy period of adolescence. As parents and family leaders we are all better and stronger human beings when we can create a secure base and safe haven for our family members, even while teens are saying Let Me Go.
Parents that can be accessible, responsive and emotionally engaged with their adolescents help build this basis of security and ultimately a saner society. A truly human future for all of us will follow. We no longer have to accept that parents and their teenagers will be stuck in an impossible impasse with no chance of connection and understanding. Social science is finally able to elucidate the moments that make for the everyday joy and anguish that is part of our most precious personal relationships, be they romantic or family connections. With this new understanding we can now create a map to help with the anguish and moments of insecurity which will lead to healing and deeper security.
The goal of this program is to help families repair, enhance and continually develop secure bonds within the family so teens can grow and go successfully and launch into the world connected to their family roots.”
~ Dr. Sue Johnson (Author of Hold Me Tight®)
