For those of us in the helping professions, our families are the greatest source of emotional connection and support. Yet while we are busy fulfilling our responsibilities to our patients, we often neglect those closest to us … and ourselves. But at what cost and how can we recognise and repair these wounds? This presentation will explain why emotional connections – so often dismissed as fluffy, messy and unscientific – are now being recognised as critical factors in both physical and mental health and the key to creating secure bonds between intimate partners and family members.