The Gottman Method

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Not all methods of couples counseling are created equal. Mark has trained extensively through the Gottman Institute, created by Drs. John and Julie Gottman (see www.Gottman.com). The Gottman Method of couples therapy is unique in several respects. First, it has over forty years of solid, empirical research behind it. Too much couples therapy today is theory. Just because something makes sense or sounds true doesn't mean it works. The Gottmans have studied thousands of couples. They have discovered what builds love (and what destroys it). Now, you can benefit from their research as we apply their methods to your relationship. Your therapy will be "research based" too, so to speak. At the outset of your therapy, you will complete a number of assessments early on. These assessments provide a "snapshot" of your relationship and a direction for your therapy, because no two couples are alike and this isn't "cookie cutter counseling." We will devise a treatment plan that will guide our work together. From the very start you know where you are headed in therapy and just what we can work on along the way. The Gottman Method is skills based with practical interventions for addressing three important areas that all healthy couples share. First, you and your partner will strengthen your friendship and appreciation. Research shows that this is the foundation for happy couples (self-evident though that sounds, most therapists miss this completely). Second, you will learn to manage (not avoid or necessarily even resolve, but manage) conflict before it becomes combat (and all couples face conflict). And third, you will learn to create deep, shared meaning together. These are the three areas that strong, stable couples have in common. The Gottman Method has revealed the consistent traits of both "masters" and "disasters" of relationships. You can become masters.

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