Hold Me Tight® Couples Workshop

March 12. 13

Shelburne, Vermont

A weekend to understand your patterns, deepen your bond, and find your way back to each other

About the Workshop

Loving well is hard, especially when work, family, and daily demands keep pulling you in different directions. Even couples who care deeply about each other can get caught in cycles of misunderstanding, hurt, and unmet longing, often without knowing how they got there.

The Hold Me Tight® workshop offers a space to pause and focus on your relationship. Based on the research of Dr. Sue Johnson and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the program helps you see the patterns that create distance and learn new ways of reaching for each other.

Some couples come wanting a little fine-tuning. Others feel the whole climate of the relationship needs to shift. The workshop serves couples across that range, from those who want to strengthen a good relationship to those hoping to reignite connection and heal.

Over two days, you and your partner will be guided through all seven Hold Me Tight® conversations, in a private, supportive setting alongside other couples.

The Seven Conversations

1. Recognizing the “Demon Dialogues”: Identify the negative interaction patterns that create distance between you and your partner.
2. Finding the Raw Spots: Uncover the sensitivities and vulnerabilities that fuel conflict and misunderstanding.
3. Revisiting a Rocky Moment: Look back at a painful moment together and come to understand it in a new way.
4. Hold Me Tight: Learn to create a secure, comforting connection in moments of vulnerability.
5. Forgiving Injuries: Address and heal emotional wounds to rebuild trust and safety.
6. Bonding Through Sex and Touch: Deepen your physical and emotional intimacy.
7. Keeping Your Love Alive: Develop practices to nurture and sustain your relationship over the long term.

Why a Workshop?

Working through these conversations alongside other couples creates a sense of shared experience and mutual encouragement. You will never be asked to share with the group. All of your work happens privately with your partner, with facilitators available throughout. You will leave with tools and insights to navigate challenges, strengthen your bond, and build a more secure future together.

Date, Time & Location

Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13, 2027
Friday: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Saturday: 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Trinity Church
Shelburne, Vermont

Pricing & What’s Included

$750 per couple

Your registration includes all workshop materials, facilitation, a continental breakfast on Saturday morning, snacks and refreshments (yes, Coffee) throughout the weekend. Lunch on Saturday is on your own, and there are several good options nearby in Shelburne.

• Super Early Bird: $100 off, or $650 per couple, when you register before December 15, 2027
• Early Bird: $50 off, or $700 per couple, when you register before January 18, 2027
• 4% discount if you pay by check

Space is limited.

About your Facilitator:

Jon Ayers is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and ICEEFT Certified EFT Therapist.  In practice since 2012, Jon has been working with couples using Emotionally Focused Therapy since 2019, bringing both clinical depth and genuine warmth to his work with couples at every stage of their relationship journey.

Jon is the founder of Flourish Counseling, a private practice in Burlington, Vermont, where he specializes in couples therapy and retreat-based intensive work. He has facilitated Hold Me Tight® workshops for couples seeking everything from relational fine-tuning to meaningful healing, and he brings the same grounded, research-informed approach to every retreat he leads.

One of Jon’s great joys is introducing people to Vermont — its unhurried pace, its beauty, and the kind of presence it invites. He loves that couples get to do this meaningful work in a place that itself seems to slow things down and open people up.  Jon himself has been married for 18 years and has two growing kids.  When he’s not in his office , with family or on retreat, he can be found mountain biking, skiing, playing in his band or seeing live music.

Is This Workshop for Us?

Hold Me Tight® workshops are informed by Emotionally Focused Therapy, widely regarded as the gold standard in couples therapy, with very strong research support. The workshop is educational and is not a substitute for therapy. In some circumstances it makes sense to wait or to talk with a facilitator first. These concerns exist on a spectrum of severity, and none of them automatically rules out attending. If any of the following describe your relationship, please contact us so we can think it through together.

1. Affairs. The workshop is not recommended when there is an active, ongoing affair, particularly if one partner is unwilling to end it. It is hard to repair one attachment relationship while a competing one is in play. When both partners are committed to rebuilding after an affair, the workshop can be a meaningful part of healing.

2. Abuse. Abuse ranges from isolated incidents during heightened conflict to patterns of deliberate control and domination. If your relationship involves significant emotional, physical, or sexual violence, or abuse used to maintain power and control, this workshop is not appropriate. The conversations call for vulnerability, which requires a foundation of physical, emotional, and sexual safety. We are glad to share resources and support. If the concerns are less severe or situational, please reach out to talk about whether the workshop could be a fit.

3. Differing Agendas. It is normal for partners to arrive with different levels of clarity or hope. However, if one partner is determined to end the relationship while the other wants to repair it, the workshop may not be productive.

4. Addiction. Addiction, whether to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or pornography, ranges from casual use to severe dependency. Some couples can address problematic use during the workshop. When addiction is severe and needs immediate or primary treatment, we recommend addressing it first. If you are unsure, please reach out.

Questions? Contact Jon at jon@flourishvt.com.

How to Register

Step 1: Contact Jon to schedule a 15-minute conversation to make sure the workshop is a good fit.
Step 2: Let us know you’d like to attend and pay your invoice.

Once we have spoken and payment is received, your spot is reserved, and we will email you a confirmation. Registrations are processed in the order completed.

Refund Policy

Life happens, and plans sometimes change. To honor both your commitment and the planning that goes into the event, we offer a tiered policy:

• More than 30 days before the workshop: full refund minus a $50 administrative fee
• 15 to 30 days before: 50% refund, or carry your fee as credit toward a future event
• Fewer than 15 days before: no refund, though we may be able to offer credit toward a future event

If we need to cancel because of presenter unavailability or insufficient registration, you will receive a full refund or credit toward a future event.