COUPLES THERAPY
scientifically- based marriage counseling
Gottman Method Couples Therapy
Combining a highly-effective scientific method with the consistent, personal attention needed for positive, lasting change
Misunderstandings, disagreements, and hurt feelings are all a part of the challenges of living in community with others. Whether the conflict is between roommates, friends, those dating or within a marriage; we are ready to help with a variety of assessment tools, training, expert advice and encouragement to restore a broken relationship, strengthen your marriage or make a good friendship even better. This will largely be achieved through the fantastic research and therapy created by Drs. John and Julie Gottman.
Gottman Method Couple’s Therapy combines the knowledge and wisdom of nearly 50 years of scientific research into the nature of relationships and clinical practice. Through research-based interventions and exercises, it helps couples break through barriers to achieve greater understanding, connection and intimacy in their relationships. Gottman Method Couples Therapy is a structured, goal-oriented, scientifically-based therapy. Intervention strategies are based upon empirical data from Dr. Gottman’s research with more than 3,000 couples.
As a Certified Gottman Therapist I am able to help couples:
- Increase respect, affection, and friendship
- Sooth tension and manage conflict effectively
- Gain skills to address solvable and perpetual problems
- Create shared meaning
- Enhance romance and intimacy
Drs. John and Julie Gottman founded the Gottman Institute in Seattle, Washington to bring help to couples and to train therapists to be more effective as relationship counselors. To hear more about Dr. Gottman’s research, click here.
Gottman Couples Therapy applies the insights gained from their research to the task of helping couples. The approach is a practical one that couples can immediately relate to and apply to their relationship. Unhappy, conflicted couples can learn the skills and perspectives which make for happy, successful relationships. To learn more about Gottman Method Therapy click here.
4-5 Days of Focused Relationship Care
Intensive Couples Therapy
Get in-depth, personalized help based on a scientific evaluation of your relationship
This alternative to traditional weekly sessions offers a condensed and focused approach allowing you the time needed to address specific issues and get your relationship back on track. In this powerful therapy format, you’ll meet with an experienced Gottman Certified Therapist for either three or four consecutive days- depending on your needs. Each day will include 6 hours of counseling- usually consisting of 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon.
This focused approach allows for uninterrupted time to talk in depth about the struggles and challenges of the relationship that isn’t normally available in the tradition style of couples therapy. Time will be set aside to process past injuries that have never healed, with the goal of increasing your understanding of how these injuries have impacted the relationship. Early on in the process you will be taught effective communication skills to help you have more productive conversations. These will help in your rebuilding process.
Marathon Couples Therapy is a good fit for couples who want intensive therapy but don’t live in the vicinity of a Certified Gottman Therapist. It’s also well suited for couples whose schedules do not allow for consistent weekly therapy sessions. And of course, it’s a great fit for couples who need to get help immediately.
It’s important to realize that the very nature of these intensives often means that couples move more quickly into the difficult areas needing to be address. This can result in experiencing uncomfortable feelings like sadness, anxiety, guilt, loneliness, hopelessness and helplessness. The process may even include recalling unpleasant aspects of your past- either together or individually. It’s important that you each understand these risks and agree with taking them beforehand.
On the final day, you will be given a plan for how to maintain the positive changes you’ve both experienced along with the tools you’ll need to support that plan. Select Rates for more information.
prepare/enrich & gottman couples therapy
Pre-Marital Christian Counseling
Utilizing scientifically-proven models to ensure you get the best start to your new life together.
Preparing for marriage can be an exciting but also stressful time for any couple. At Lighthouse we have the tools and experience to help ensure you get the best start possible.
Bill Gorman is a registered facilitator of PREPARE/ENRICH, a powerful relationship inventory and couples assessment tool. This tool automatically tailors the content of the relationship assessment to fit each couple’s unique relationship stage and family structure. This allows us to form an accurate snapshot of any relationship so that together we can discover the strengths and growth areas that you, as a new couple, can build upon. Check out http://www.prepare-enrich.com/ for more information.
In addition to this tool, we combine the research and methods of Dr. John Gottman to aid couples in building intimacy and better communication in their relationship. Through the use of Gottman’s research, we can also aid couples avoid the common pitfalls practiced by those couples whose marriage have ended in divorce and guide them towards a fulfilling, enjoyable relationship. Knowing that there are plenty of other wedding expenses for the happy couple, we offer a special package rate for premarital counseling. In addition, we like to have a follow-up session, when possible, to see how our newly-wed couples are doing. As gift to them we offer this post-wedding session free of charge- as long as it occurs within the first 90 days of their marriage. Please refer to our Rates page for more information on our special rates.
