The Premier Weekend

Couples Workshop

In-Person, Seattle, WA

“This was exactly what we needed as a couple. We were able to let go of so much we were holding onto. I feel like we are leaving with a clean slate! Thank You!”

Only 1 Ticket per Couple
$2,000 per couple: includes all processing fees.

Get Early Bird Pricing by Registering Early!

2 days of exclusive connection building tools; a 2:1 couples to therapist ratio.

Therapists – earn 13 CEU’s. Learn more here »

Review our Cancelation Policy, and
ensure Hold Me Tight® is a good fit for you prior to booking.

Oct 19-20, 2024 with only 8 couples

Save $200 by registering by Sept 19th!

Feb 22-23, 2025 with only 8 couples

Save $300 by registering by Dec 22nd!

HMTS Cancellation Policy

Please read our cancellation policy carefully.

Life happens, and the best-laid plans are sometimes not possible to follow through on. Your registration fee, while NON-refundable, IS transferrable to a future workshop, IF you can notify us of your inability to attend at least one week prior to the workshop. With less than seven days notice, registration is non-transferable as well as non-refundable. This policy is the most generous that we can offer as we invest significantly in your experience at the workshop with an accessible and accommodating venue, food and beverages, supplies, and a team of trained therapists to support you. We aim to give you the most valuable workshop experience with the most support, and your cancellation means loss of our financial investment without chance of recuperation of that investment. We offer at least three to four workshops a year, so you are highly likely to find a future date that works for you.

 

Fee also includes one FREE Follow-Up Couples Counseling Session

Continue the experience with a FREE private couples counseling session. Build on the foundation you began in the workshop, and get your questions answered after having brought your Hold Me Tight® experience back to your day to day lives.

Still have questions? See our FAQ below »

To Ensure this Workshop is a Good Fit…

Our Hold Me Tight Seattle® workshop is an educational resource for couples interested in enhancing the quality of their relationship. This program is not intended to be a substitute for individual couples therapy with a trained professional therapist. If you, your partner, or a family member are experiencing significant relationship distress, serious depression, or mental health problems, we urge you to seek professional treatment immediately and consider using this program only after the benefit of an individual consult with Dennis and Kim at 253-343-0746.

Hold Me Tight® Seattle is an educational workshop not meant to replace couples or individual therapy. Participants not in significant relational crisis and free of mood or addictive disorders will benefit most. If you have any questions regarding the appropriateness of this workshop for yourself or your partnership, please feel free to contact us @ 253-343-0746 for a phone consultation. Certain cancellation fees may apply. See details on Eventbrite Registration Page.

This exclusive small group experience will afford focused private facilitation by couple therapists with decades of experience and either certification in Emotionally Focused Therapy or advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy.

In this deeply experiential workshop, you will learn the skills that…

  • Repair and build love bonds
  • Create a sense of safety in the relationship to talk about anything
  • Break destructive cycles of fighting or withdrawing from each other
  • Reignites intimacy and passion

You will FEEL the experience for yourself.

With a combination of group sessions and private sessions, you will discover why the Hold Me Tight® approach works so well for any couple – new or old, straight or gay, bickering or shutting down.

Learn more about what this approach is all about here

Now is the time to decide to change the direction of your relationship.

Workshops consistently sell out early, so grab your spot while you can!

Each Hold Me Tight® workshop includes…

  • Videotaped sessions of couples working through the Emotionally Focused Therapy process.
  • Lectures and demonstrations by instructors trained by Dr.Sue Johnson and the highly regarded Emotionally Focused Therapy Community.
  • Practice exercises with your partner to create greater awareness and understanding of your respective emotional experience.
  • A Hold Me Tight® workbook full of information and exercise to guide practice and emotional deepening of your relationship at home.
  • Private follow-up session at no additional fee!-scheduled at a time of your choice!

Current COVID Precautions

We ask that you do not attend if you are experiencing COVID symptoms, test positive for COVID, or have a known exposure with an infected individual. Please email info@holdmetightseattle.com if any of these occur so we can resolve the situation in the best way for all parties. We can gladly reschedule you.

Masks:
Masks are not required, but you are welcome to be masked during the workshop.

Upcoming In-Person Dates:

FALL WORKSHOPS:
Sept 14-15, 2024
Oct 19-20, 2024

Winter WORKSHOP:
Feb 22-23, 2025

2025 & Spring, Summer, and Fall Dates:
Coming Soon

“We’ve had the opportunity to do a 3-day private couples intensive with Dr. John Gottman. We never got near to the emotional depth of experience in working with Joseph and Wendy at Hold Me Tight Seattle.

We had huge emotional break throughs that we have both been avoiding – by tapping into our deep fears. We came to the workshop having not spoken with each other out of our “supervised” therapy for over a week. We are leaving making plans for our future…and we can’t wait to get home to have sex!”

Workshop Participant

Workshop Details:

Each workshop is held over two days in person in Seattle, including 7 private break out couples sessions directly with highly trained EFT couples therapists. Small, intimate groups with a 2:1 ratio of couples to therapists.

Saturday:

We’ll start at 9am PST, and go until 5pm PST.
You’ll have an hour lunch break at noon

Sunday:

We’ll start at 9am PST, and go until 5pm PST.
You’ll have an hour lunch break at noon.

 

Lodging and Food Options:

For those who live out of the city, this may be a good opportunity to spend a little time away and enjoy Seattle’s food, nightlife, and waterfront.

Right on the doorstep of pike place market, you’ll find plenty.

Nearby hotels include:

  • Kimpton Palladian Hotel
  • Thompson Seattle
  • Inn at the Market
  • Ginosi Oxford Apartel
  • Mayflower Park Hotel Seattle

See nearby lodging on Google Maps »

Nearby food options include:

There are a lot of options in the area, including just heading into Pike Place Market and seeing what you find!

Some of those include:

  • All Water Seafood & Oyster Bar
  • Bad Bishop (Saturday Only)
  • Maza (Pikes Market)
  • Purple Cafe & Wine Bar

 

See nearby restaurants on Google Maps »

“[This workshop] helped me get in touch with my inner fears and helped me share my fears in our private breakouts, in a way I felt heard and affirmed. That brought me truly closer to my husband.”

- Participant

Held in Downtown Seattle

3rd and Madison, Downtown Seattle

 

“I can have tough conversations with my partner and survive…feel more connected….and not feel as stuck”

2019 HMTS Participant

Hear From Our Couples Participants

“I like how we were encouraged and helped to confront our issues in an open and non-judgmental manner.”

“You created a very safe environment and helped me understand with clear examples that were very valuable in seeing our relationship in a new light.”

““I loved everything about this workshop. The creation of a safe environment to contain this process for all of us. I felt heard and understood by my partner and by all four therapists”

“This workshop was a huge move forward for us. The depth of conversations we got into was so much deeper than we have ever had on our own.”

“We learned a great deal about the fears that have kept our cycle alive and how to slow down and identify the demon cycle. We know the we might not eliminate it, but now we feel that together we can break it and repair more quickly by employing the strategies we learned in the workshop.”

Frequently Asked Questions for Hold Me Tight® Seattle Workshops

Q: How long does your workshop last?

A: We meet on Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm Pacific Standard Time (US).

 

Q: Where is the workshop held? 

A: Downtown Seattle, WA at 3rd Ave and Madison St.

Q: Does HMTS use EFT? What is EFT?

A: Yes. EFT or Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples is a highly researched and empirically validated couple therapy approach. EFT has been shown to be effective with over 70% of the couples who seek it out. EFT combines experiential emotion focused work with family systems. Grounded in Attachment Theory EFT produces change through corrective emotional experiences which unblock vulnerable hidden primary emotion in a safe, measured and progressive manner. Follow-up studies of couples who partake of individual EFT therapy demonstrate couple satisfaction at 3 years post therapy.

Q: What style of workshop does HMTS conduct?

A: The heart of the HMTS workshop revolves around 7 experiential private couple breakout sessions. Each session is professionally facilitated by Dennis, Kim or another therapist with advanced training or higher in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT). Our HMTS workshop also utilizes, a lively mix of instruction, exercises, discussion, and demonstrations. Sharing in group discussions is by participant choice and not a requirement.

Q: Does HMTS use the methods of Dr. Susan Johnson, the primary creator of EFT?

A. Yes. As highly trained EFT practitioners with thousands of hours in EFT training and clinical practice we largely base our workshops on the original HMT workshop designed by Dr. Johnson. We have adapted the sides and participant workbook in ways that maintain the spirit and process of Hold Me Tight® workshop designed by Sue Johnson, and the general process of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. 

Q: What is the satisfaction rate of couples who partake in the workshop?

A: Self- Evaluations from the couples that have completed our workshops have demonstrated a satisfaction rated of over 90%.

Q: Are workshop participants asked to process confidential matters in group?

A: No. Some participants do share poignant lessons they experience during the workshop; however, sharing is completely up to the participants.

Q: Will participants be required to do much writing?

A: No. But many of our participants take generous notes in provided workbook.

Q: Is HMTS appropriate for couples in crisis?

A: Every couple is different. Every couple crisis presents different challenges. If you feel like you are in crisis, we recommend that you call us and describe your situation. Only with a good assessment of your current challenge will we be able to fully assess the fit of the workshop for you. We may suggest a consultation session before coming to the workshop to better prepare you to gain the maximum benefit the workshop can offer.

Q: Is HMTS appropriate for same sex couples?

A: We strongly believe so. Many same sex couples have progressed through our workshop.

Q: Is HMTS appropriate for couple with an active addiction (behavioral or substance) or domestic violence present in their relationship?

A: That depends. Please contact us by email or phone to schedule a free consult to determine if this workshop is appropriate for your and your partner.  
HMTS is not a substitute for addiction counseling of DV therapy. EFT has been shown in studies to be effective in successful working through addiction and situational violence. Sometimes additional treatment is also needed in support of the couples work.

Q: What is the level of training of the facilitators?

A: Dennis Eames, LMFT is a fully licensed Marriage & Family therapist in WA state. He is also recognized by the International Centre for Excellence in EFT as a fully Certified EFT therapist and supervisor. Dennis has been working with couples in therapy since 2003, and as a Hold Me Tight Workshop facilitator since 2015.

Q: What therapeutic follow-up to the workshop is available?

A: With your tuition to the workshop all couples are provided one no-charge, in-person, follow-up session within 60 days of your attended workshop. Joseph will also work closely with you to find an appropriate EFT therapist if additional follow-up with either of them is not chosen.

Q: Can participants pay on installment?

A: We are sorry to say we are not able to provide installment plans. However, we do accept credit card through Eventbrite for the purchase of your ticket.