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Susan Maureen Driver was born on December 19, 1947 in Gillingham, England, the only child of Arthur and Winifred Driver. The Drivers ran a pub called the Royal Marine and Sue grew up in its rowdy environment. “I spent a lot of time watching people meet, talk, drink, argue, dance, flirt,” she wrote. Her parents’ relationship was chaotic and contentious, and they divorced when she was 10.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Hull in East Yorkshire before moving to Canada, where he earned a master’s degree in literature and history from the University of British Columbia and worked as a counselor at a residential center for adolescents in difficulty. After starting training as a therapist, she enrolled in a doctoral program in psychology and earned her Ph.D. in 1984. Her thesis involved her work with EFT and she was hired by the University of Ottawa to teach in its psychology department.
Dr. Johnson married briefly in the 1970s and kept her first husband’s last name. She met Mr Douglas, who ran an engineering firm, in 1987, and they married a year later. In addition to Mr. Douglas, she is survived by their children, Sarah Nakatsuka, Tim and Emma Douglas.
In 1998, with Mr. Douglas and others, Dr. Johnson co-founded the International Center of Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy. He trains and certifies therapists around the world in EFT and conducts clinical studies on the method. Both the Canadian and U.S. militaries have offered EFT programs to service members, and EFT has been used to reduce stress among couples coping with a partner’s heart disease, diabetes or Parkinson’s disease.
“Underneath all the anguish,” Dr. Johnson said, “partners ask each other: Can I count on you? Are you there for me?”
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