Sue Johnson

Dr. Susan "Sue" Johnson graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1984 with a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology. She reports in various sources that her interested in relationship science and couples therapy grew naturally out of being raised "in an English Pub." Dr. Johnson describes a fascination with the dance of adult love she watched unfold around her in that pub (and elsewhere).

Sue Johnson is known for her innovative work in the field of psychology on bonding, attachment and adult romantic relationships. Dr. Johnson's work emerged on the family therapy and psychology field at a time when most couple's therapy approaches focused on one or more of the following: cognitive and behavioral interventions, improving communication skills, teaching negotiation skills, or applying psychoanalytic theory to the relationship. Dr. Johnson's focus on emotions and emotional process was often met with disdain or dismissed as it ran contrary to dominant views of emotion as being problematic or unnecessary to address in couples therapy.