Gottman Method Couples Therapy

The Gottman Method is organized around the Sound Relationship House, a model of seven essential components of a healthy partnership. The foundation includes Building Love Maps (deep knowledge of each other's inner world), Sharing Fondness and Admiration (active respect and appreciation), and Turning Toward (responding positively to each other's bids for connection). Research shows that couples who consistently turn toward each other's bids have dramatically higher satisfaction.

Above the foundation are Managing Conflict (learning to dialogue about perpetual problems with respect rather than trying to eliminate them), Making Life Dreams Come True (supporting each other's aspirations), and Creating Shared Meaning (building rituals, goals, and a sense of "we"). Trust and Commitment hold everything together.

Therapy begins with a structured assessment (questionnaires, a joint session, and individual sessions), giving your therapist a multidimensional picture of your relationship. From there, sessions combine guided conversations, psychoeducation, skills practice, and structured exercises to rebuild connection and repair trust.

The Gottman Method works for couples at any stage: married, engaged, dating, or cohabiting, including same-sex couples. It's particularly valuable if you feel stuck in repetitive conflict, have the same arguments without resolution, or have gradually drifted apart. It's equally relevant if you're facing a specific crisis like infidelity, a major betrayal of trust, or a life-altering event that's strained your relationship beyond what you can manage alone.

We also welcome couples who aren't in crisis but want to invest proactively in their relationship. The Gottman Method isn't only a repair tool. It's a prevention tool. Research clearly shows that couples who develop strong fundamentals early are far more likely to maintain satisfying, lasting relationships.