Created for Connection® Couples Workshop
Friday + Saturday | November 13-14, 2026
Deepen your bond. Repair ruptures. Rediscover each other.
About the Workshop
Every couple longs for closeness, safety, and connection. Yet life’s stresses, misunderstandings, hurts, and repeated patterns can leave us feeling distant from the person we love most.
Created for Connection® is a two day relationship education workshop grounded in attachment science and the principles of Emotionally Focused Therapy. Couples will learn together and participate in private guided conversations designed to strengthen emotional safety, trust, and connection.
Because Created for Connection® was developed with Christian couples in mind, we will also gently weave in a few optional faith based reflections and scriptures. These moments are intended to offer an additional lens for couples who find faith meaningful, while allowing each couple to engage with them in the way that feels most comfortable. You do not need to have a particular level of spiritual knowledge or certainty to attend, but participants should feel comfortable engaging with the workshop from a Christian perspective.
Through teaching, live role play demonstrations by the facilitators, and private guided conversations with your partner, you will learn to recognize the patterns that pull you apart, understand the deeper emotions and longings beneath those patterns, repair moments of disconnection, and build a safer, more secure bond.
This is not group therapy, and you will not be asked to share personal details publicly. Your guided conversations will remain private between you and your partner within a supportive and structured setting.
Created for Connection® shares the same attachment based foundation as the Hold Me Tight® program while intentionally making room for Christian faith, scripture, and the couple’s relationship with God as meaningful resources for connection and healing.
We are offering two ways to pay upon registration
🤍 Pay in Full: You can pay the full workshop fee at registration.
🤍 Payment Plan: If you’d prefer to spread your payments out, you can begin with a $150 deposit.
After that, you’ll receive an invoice where you can make payments over time, in any amount that works for you. Your balance simply needs to be completely paid by Monday, November 9, 2026.
We hope this makes joining us feel accessible and doable.
Workshop Details
Dates: Friday, November 13, 2026 (9:00 AM–5:00 PM) & Saturday, November 14, 2026 (9:00 AM–5:00 PM) One hour lunch break each day.
Location: Greentree Community Church – 100 Kirkwood Pl, Kirkwood, MO 63122
Format: Teaching, facilitator demonstrations, and private guided couple exercises.
Cost: $649 early bird (by Oct 15, 2026) - $849 standard - The fee includes a participant workbook, workshop materials, and light refreshments.
Group Size: Limited to ensure meaningful engagement – early registration is recommended!
It softened my heart and helped me understand my partner more. It allowed for grace. - Past participant
The ‘loop’ image is imprinted in my brain. I notice it now when we’re in it; and I know how to slow things down. - Past participant
What Therapists are Saying:
I wholeheartedly recommend the workshop to my clients. It’s an excellent way to jump-start couples work and a powerful resource even for individuals seeking deeper connection. Clients consistently report meaningful progress and a clearer map forward as a couple. Sarah and Sue are relatable, grounded, and deeply effective teachers. - Lilian, Therapist
Who It's For:
This workshop is for couples who:
- Feel stuck in patterns of disconnection or conflict.
- Want to rebuild trust after hurts or distance.
- Long to feel closer, safer, and more understood.
- Simply want to invest in their relationship and deepen intimacy.
- Couples who are dating, engaged, or considering marriage.
- Are any age!
Gentle note: This is an educational workshop, not therapy.
What Couples Will Gain:
- A clear map of negative patterns and how to shift them
- Skills to talk about raw spots, rocky moments, and injuries
- Deeper empathy and openness with your partner
- A more secure emotional bond
Testimonials From Past Participants:
This workshop is totally worth the time and effort. So good.
It brought us closer and gave us a better understanding of us
We’ve been in a giant cycle for years. This helped us see it; and start choosing each other again.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the group time. It helped to see we weren’t alone in our struggles.
It’s never too early or too late to prioritize your relationship.
Facilitators - Sarah & Sue"
Sarah Howell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and ICEEFT Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist for Couples (EFCT) and Individuals (EFIT) in private practice, and is an active board member of the St. Louis EFT Community, where she serves as Vice President and President Elect, and previously served as the Chair of Marketing and Communications. She specializes in helping couples transform disconnection into secure, lasting bonds through the evidence-based framework of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
In her practice, Sarah also works with individuals navigating relational challenges, grief, anxiety, depression, complex trauma, and life transitions, drawing on advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Gottman Couples Therapy, and creative and expressive techniques. In Sarah's free time she volunteers with her husband Matt and their certified Duo® Touch Therapy dog, Penelope.
Known for her compassionate, attuned presence and use of metaphor and imagery, Sarah brings warmth, structure, and creativity to her work. She considers it a privilege to walk alongside couples as they risk vulnerability, repair ruptures, and rediscover closeness with each other to create the secure bond every relationship longs for.
Sue Verble is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist (EFCT) in private practice with more than a decade of experience walking alongside couples who long to feel closer and more secure in their relationship. She brings a calm, supportive presence to her work, helping partners move through negative cycles, heal from betrayal, and rediscover the bond that first brought them together.
Sue holds a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the St. Louis EFT Community as Chair Social Events and Fundraising. Sue was previously the President. Before becoming a counselor, she spent 20 years in sales, management, and recruiting, as well as time as a full-time homemaker raising her four children — experiences that give her a grounded, real-world perspective on love, family, and resilience.
In addition to her weekly therapy practice, Sue offers couples intensives and co-leads relationship education workshops based on Emotionally Focused Therapy. She is passionate about helping couples not just repair, but also create lasting patterns of connection, safety, and joy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
We would love to have you join us. This is a chance to invest in your relationship, slow down, and rediscover each other in a safe and supportive space.
Created for Connection® is a registered program developed by Dr. Sue Johnson and ICEEFT.