Method Couples Therapy

Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Gottman Method Couples Therapy is a modality based on over 40 years of research that has studied interactions between couples in various situations. In what began as a search without a hypothesis, Dr. John Gottman started to study the interaction between partners to find what makes a couple happy or unhappy. They learned body language, vocabulary, arguments, friendship, goals, and more and found overwhelmingly reliable trends in how couples who stayed together and separated interacted with each other.

Dr. John Gottman is a mathematician and scientist, and Dr. Julie Gottman is a psychologist. Together, they combined their research and counseling expertise and developed a tried and true relationship therapy method designed to examine a couple’s current habits and ways of interacting, turn those habits into strengths, and create or rebuild a satisfying, long-lasting relationship.

What To Expect With The Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Your Gottman Trained therapist will use various tools and exercises that have been extensively studied and honed by The Gottman Institute and proven to be effective in helping you in your specific relationship hurdles. Gottman Method Couples Therapy is generally structured by starting with a couples therapy session where you and your partner will meet the therapist and give a general history of your relationship. The following two sessions are usually individual sessions for the therapist to get to know your background and discuss any information that might be sensitive or difficult to bring up with your partner present. An assessment will allow you and your partner to look at where you both align with various related aspects and provide you and your counselor with a more thorough understanding of your specific strengths and challenges.

Upon completing the intake sessions, your therapist will utilize the exercises studied by the Gottmans that are specifically designed to address your challenges. Some common tools you’ll use are the Sound Relationship House, The 4-Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Gentle Start-up, and the Art of Compromise. You can trust that the information presented with this method is not only scientifically studied but has a long history of successful results.