Hold Me Tight®
Do you want to build connection between you and your partner?
Do you and your partner need a safe space for important conversations?
Join us for one of our transformational Hold Me Tight® relationship education workshops taught by experienced therapists trained in the Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) model. We create space for you and your partner to have 7 impactful conversations that are specifically curated to strengthen emotional closeness, intimacy, and safety within your relationship.
EFT is a relationship-strengthening model that is backed by decades of research and supported by our therapists' experiences helping hundreds of couples improve their relationships.
Upcoming Hold Me Tight® Workshops
Additional information is available on each registration page.
Is Hold Me Tight® couples therapy?
No, HMT it is not couples therapy, nor is it mental health treatment. It is a relationship education program. If you're looking for couples therapy, we recommend connecting with a couples therapist at Assessment and Therapy Associates in Grand Forks (if you are in North Dakota or Minnesota) or visiting the ICCEFT website to find one in your area.
Who benefits most from HMT workshops?
Couples wanting to establish more emotional connection that are experiencing no, mild, or moderate relationship distress benefit most from HMT. This workshop is not appropriate for couples in high distress; we recommend high distress couples begin couples therapy for an individualized approach to address relationship concerns.
14 Hours Devoted to Your Relationship
For perspective, 14 hours of work in couples therapy would nearly $2700. Although HMT is not couples therapy, for less than what 4 couples therapy sessions would cost, you can learn skills to have relationship conversations leading to meaningful change.
What Should You Expect?
Teaching
Our instructors will begin the workshop with an overview of HMT and describe the science behind love. Each of the 7 conversations will begin with information about the topic, which includes explanation about how it can help create emotional connection.
Practicing
You and your partner will have time alone (in a quiet & private space) to practice each conversation, and the instructors are available to support you as needed. We also provide additional information about how you can continue practicing these conversations at home.
Debriefing
After each practice conversation, we will return to the large group where you and your partner can debrief the conversation, learn from other couples, and the instructors will answer questions that arise. You share in the large group to the degree you are comfortable!
Join our Hold Me Tight® Email list!
We keep our courses small so we can give couples the individualized attention they deserve--that means courses fill fast!
Sign up to be the first to learn about any new new HMT workshop!
Weekend schedule
Our Hold Me Tight® workshops are held at Assessment and Therapy Associates of Grand Forks (ATAGF) in Grand Forks, ND.
Address: 3535 S. 31st St., Suite 201, Grand Forks, ND 58201
We typically hold each HMT workshop on a weekend according to this schedule:
Friday: 6pm to 9:15pm
Saturday: 8:30am to 5pm (1-hour lunch on your own)
Sunday: 8:30am to 12pm
We will provide light refreshments (snacks, beverages), and we will also take short breaks each day.
Our upcoming HMT workshops are listed below. We are happy to do HMT workshops for organizations upon request. Just contact us via our website to get started!
What Does the Research Say?
Great question! A meta-analysis of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy found relationship satisfaction significantly improved and was maintained a follow-up (Beasley & Ager, 2019). Similar positive results are found with the HMT program. Couples who participate in HMT report positive relationship adjustment (McKibben et al., 2025), security of the partner bond (Conradi et al., 2018), improved family functioning (Wong et al., 2017), forgiveness (Conradi et al., 2018), and increased relationship satisfaction and trust (Kennedy et al., 2019)!
Foundation of the HMT Program
If you want to dig into the content before (or after) the workshop, check out Dr. Sue Johnson's book, Hold me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love. (We get no royalties for this endorsement--it just a great book!)
Dave Jackson, PhD, LP
Certified EFT Therapist & Supervisor
Dave Jackson, PhD, LP, is our primary HMT instructor. He is a Licensed Psychologist, Certified EFT Therapist, and Certified EFT Supervisor with over 30 years of clinical experience. Since January 2021, he has specialized in couples therapy, and he personally only works with couples using the EFT model. He continues to be an active student of EFT.
Dr. Jackson is co-founder of Assessment and Therapy Associates of Grand Forks, PLLC, which is a group practice dedicated to providing compassionate, effective services that enhance the quality of life of those they serve. He also provides EFT supervision and mentorship, training courses for therapists, seminars, and retreats for couples seeking to improve emotional closeness. He is also an avid bicyclist and dog lover. He and his wife share their home with 3 herding mix rescue dogs.
Katya Mickelson, PhD
Psychology Resident & EFT-trained Therapist
Katya Mickelson, PhD, is one of our core HMT instructors. She is a Psychology Resident with several years of EFT training, and her couples therapy work is supervised by Dr. Jackson. She is pursuing the Certified EFT Therapist credential.
Dr. Mickelson is employed at Assessment and Therapy Associates of Grand Forks, PLLC, where she works with survivors of trauma and provides couples and relationship therapy within an EFT framework.
Dr. Mickelson’s areas of personal interest include dogs (please show your pet pictures), podcasts / documentaries, and discussing her rather impressive collection of coffee and tea mugs.
Upcoming Hold Me Tight® Workshops
Additional information is available on each registration page.
Join our Hold Me Tight® Email list!
We keep our courses small so we can give couples the individualized attention they deserve--that means courses fill fast!
Sign up to be the first to learn about any new new HMT workshop!