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    • Home
    • Team
    • Services
      • Psychotherapy
      • Evaluations
      • Support Groups
      • Student Advocacy
    • Information
      • Rates & Insurance
      • Resources
      • Referrals
      • Levels of Care
      • Privacy Practices
    • Client Portal
    • Contact
Where Healing Begins
  • Home
  • Team
  • Services
    • Psychotherapy
    • Evaluations
    • Support Groups
    • Student Advocacy
  • Information
    • Rates & Insurance
    • Resources
    • Referrals
    • Levels of Care
    • Privacy Practices
  • Client Portal
  • Contact

Couples Counseling

Premarital & Marriage Counseling

Evidence-based Support

The therapy sessions draw from John Gottman's extensive four-decade research on relationships, offering couples practical strategies to strengthen and better their partnership. Additionally, these sessions help couples comprehend the research-backed principles underlying these tools.

lasting love

Proven to Help Couples

The sessions incorporate educational content and practical exercises designed to:

  • Bolster friendship, affection, and mutual admiration
  • Deepen romantic connections and intimacy
  • Constructively handle conflicts
  • Develop abilities to tackle both ongoing and resolvable issues
  • Foster a sense of shared purpose and meaning

Couples Who Participate in These Sessions Include Those Who are:

  • In a dating relationship
  • Engaged to be married
  • Newlyweds or senior couples
  • Seeking to improve an already good marriage
  • In need of more effective tools for managing conflict

We still do

The Seven Principles

  1. Strengthen your bond and increase intimacy
  2. Nurture your fondness and admiration
  3. Turn towards each other and not away
  4. Let your partner influence you
  5. Solve your solvable problems
  6. Overcoming gridlock
  7. Creating shared meaning

What to Expect

Assessment Phase

Session 1: The couple jointly meets with the therapist. 

  • Duration: 85 minutes
  • Initial phase: Informal assessment
  • Post-session: Formal assessment

Session 2: Individual session with Partner 1. 

  • Duration: 55-minute individual interview
  • Focus: Conducting an informal assessment

Session 3: Individual session with Partner 2. 

  • Duration: 55-minute individual interview
  • Focus: Conducting an informal assessment

Session 4: The couple jointly meets with the therapist.

  • Duration: 85 minutes
  • Focus: Integration of findings and providing feedback.

Upon completing the assessment phase, the therapist will present recommendations, and if it's suitable, the couple may start their treatment process.

Treatment Phase

Session Five and Subsequent Sessions: (Start of Therapy)

  • Duration: Choice of 55-minute or 85-minute sessions, tailored to client needs
  • Emphasis on targeted interventions
  • Concentration on fostering meaningful dialogue


Throughout the therapy phase, each session will include the participation of both partners, ensuring that all interactions with the therapist are openly shared between them. The specific approach to therapy may vary based on the issues presented and the mutually agreed-upon treatment objectives. Generally, a standard treatment plan ranges from 8 to 20 sessions.

Maintenance Phase

After completing the treatment phase, couples might consider arranging occasional check-in sessions to sustain their progress and reinforce learned skills.

Considerations for Gottman Therapy

Before opting for Gottman therapy, it's crucial to assess your dedication to enhancing your relationship. The Gottman Method demands a significant commitment; it's intensive and expects couples to apply the learned skills actively outside of therapy sessions. Those not ready to invest effort in this manner might not fully benefit from the Gottman Method.

Upon completing the assessment phase, the therapist will present recommendations, and if it's suitable, the couple may start their treatment process.

Moreover, the Gottman Method is not suitable for couples experiencing physical domestic violence. While effective for various relationship challenges, it is not designed to address physical violence issues. In such cases, assistance should be sought from a domestic violence specialist, a shelter, or law enforcement agencies.

Downloads

Gottman Relationship Checkup Handout for Couples (pdf)

Download

Sound Relationship House Theory Handout (pdf)

Download
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