Ahhh the Gottmans. Almost a household name even for people who don’t work in the mental health field! For decades, John and Julie Gottman have studied and worked with couples needing support. They have developed a deep understanding of relationship dynamics and methods for addressing conflict. This has been invaluable for couples therapy and couples therapy training.
Their work has proven highly effective and is highly research based. John has conducted research on couples for four decades at the University of Washington. Julie is a tried and true successful couples therapist. Dream team!
The Gottmans have developed and studied multiple concrete and specific ways to support couples. They have uncovered ways to successfully predict whether couples will stay together or breakup. They also coined and investigated the emotional bank account, the “Four Horseman” of relationship interactions, and the 5-1 rule of positive versus negative expressions (among other key advancements).
John Gottman and Julie Gottman have also trained a small army in couples research and therapy techniques. And you can train in that tradition too! There is a good well-established training in the foundations of Gottman Method Couples Therapy for clinicians to learn more.
Pros: Gottmans’ methods are highly research based. That way you know you’re getting the most well-tested information for those you are helping. This training is good for whether you have new requests for couples therapy in your practice, are wanting to switch your mode of work, or want new approaches to working with couples. It is also a great refresher for working with couples if you have not had direct training in a while. The cost is also nice for 12 CEUs!
Limits: This couples therapy training focuses on the fundamentals of Gottman couples therapy methods. So if you are looking for more advanced couples therapy methods, there are other trainings offered by the same institution.
Couples therapy can be such a fascinating and challenging endeavor. The Gottmans have spread their methods well to both clinicians and consumers. Their amazing work for helping us help others is ready to consume!
