How Gottman Couples Therapy Works
Session 1: 60-90 minutes, with both partners present.
We spend this time getting to know you as a couple. We'll review your relationship history, what brought you to couples therapy, how you've handled challenges in the past and establish goals for therapy. If time permits, we will do a brief intervention to examine your conflict style and build more effective communication.
“Gottman Connect” Relationship Assessment (optional, for a small extra charge.)
Between couples counseling sessions 1 and 2 you and your partner will be invited to complete the Gottman Connect Relationship Checkup, an assessment tool that provides direct feedback specific to your relationship to identify what's going well and areas that need help. The Gottman Institute charges a small fee for the assessment tool and scoring report.
Session 2: Individual Interviews, 45 minutes each.
We’ll meet individually with each partner. We'll discuss your family history, how conflicts were handled in your family of origin. Your concerns and goals for the relationship.
Session 3: Feedback session, 60-90 minutes with both partners present.
Review of Gottman Relationship Checkup including strengths and needs in the relationship. Treatment planning and examining interventions that will be beneficial to your relationship. If time allows, we will continue with specific communication skills and conflict management techniques.
Session 4 and beyond: 60-90 minutes (You choose your couples counseling session length. Of course, longer sessions allow for more comprehensive work, and therapy completes more efficiently.)
This is where the work gets deeper. We will examine why each of you communicate the way you do and how to improve your connection through specific Gottman interventions. These interventions are tailored to your relationship struggles.
