Marriage/Couples Therapy

The Gottman Method for Couples Therapy

Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Gottman have studied every aspect of human relationships and discovered the secrets to being successful in love and long term partnerships. Those secrets have been transformed into the Gottman Method.

The Gottman Method is an approach to couples therapy that includes a thorough check up of the couple’s relationship, and integrates research-based interventions based on the Sound Relationship House Theory.

The goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflicting verbal communication, increase intimacy, respect, and affection, remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy, and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.

The Sound Relationship House Theory has nine key components:

Build Love Maps: Knowing your partner's inner world, fears, and dreams.

Share Fondness and Admiration: Actively expressing appreciation.
Turn Toward Instead of Away: Responding to small bids for connection.
The Positive Perspective: Approaching problems with a positive attitude.
Manage Conflict: Using gentle startup, repair attempts, and accepting influence.
Make Life Dreams Come True: Supporting each other's aspirations.
Create Shared Meaning: Building rituals and shared values.
Trust & Commitment: The foundation for lasting connection.

Is this Method Right for You?

Who is this method for?

Couples in Conflict: Those experiencing high conflict, frequent arguments, or inability to resolve issues.

Distressed Couples: Couples dealing with infidelity, betrayal, emotional distance, or trust issues.
Couples Seeking Improvement: Partners looking to enhance their relationship, improve communication, or strengthen friendship.
All Relationship Types: Inclusive of all types of couples and partnerships.

What does this method address?

The Four Horsemen: Eliminates criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.
The Sound Relationship House: Builds trust, commitment, fondness, admiration, and intimacy.
Conflict Management: Provides tools for managing perpetual problems rather than just solving them.

The Process

Black-and-white photograph of a vintage rifle with wood stock.

Assessment

A conjoint session, followed by individual interviews with each partner are conducted. Couples complete questionnaires and then receive detailed feedback on their relationship within the conjoined session.

A black smartphone screen displaying a keypad for entering a passcode, with numbers 1 through 9 arranged in a 3x3 grid.

Therapeutic Framework

Therapy can involve weekly sessions or, in some cases, "marathon" sessions over a few days for faster results. The couple and therapist decide on the frequency and duration of the sessions.

Therapeutic Interventions

Interventions are designed to help couples strengthen their relationships in three primary areas: friendship, conflict management, and creation of shared meaning. Couples learn to replace negative conflict patterns with positive interactions and to repair past hurts. Relapse prevention is also addressed.

A black-and-white illustration of a woman in a long dress and a hat, holding a parasol and standing on a cobblestone street with a footbridge and buildings in the background.

Pricing

A person sitting on a dark gray sofa with hands clasped and head slightly bowed, in a dimly lit room.

In order to start off strong, an assessment is completed for the first four (4) session. This assessment allows the therapist to get a full picture of the relationship dynamic and the purpose for starting couples therapy. Thie assessment is the most “clinical” in nature, as it involves measuring heart rates and asking more direct questions.
The first and fourth sessions (the cojoined ones) are 90 minutes. The second session is 90 minutes but is split up into two 45-minute sessions, one for each partner. They can be done consecutively or scheduled separately.
$225 USD
Due to an official standardized assessment being performed, this session is the price of a regular session ($185) plus the cost of the assessment ($40).

Assessment

A couple smiling and facing each other outdoors, with the sun shining behind them and a blurred landscape in the background.

Although each session will look a little different depending on the topic that is brought in that day, each session will focus on adding interventions that improve at least one of the three areas: freiendship, conflict management, or shared meaning.
All sessions are 75 minutes. If additional time is needed, there will be a $10 charge for every 5 minutes past the intial 75 minutes.
$185 USD
Although the Assessment lasts about 3-4 sessions, all other sessions after the first appointment are the price of a regular session.