Gottman Couples Therapy
How is your relationship? On a scale from 1-10, how happy are you in your relationship? Is there intimacy, misunderstandings, and fights? If these questions have made you think, and reflect, that is great, but before you move forward you should know what to look for. You should think about both the therapist and the method it uses. Research shows that a warm therapeutic bond with your therapist is what it takes to make therapy work, so before you focus on the type of therapy he/she uses, make sure you feel comfortable and that there is a connection with your counsellor.
The Gottman is one of the most popular methods used in couple’s therapy. With over 35 years of research, John, Julie and the Gottman Institute have studied thousands of couples, families and their dynamics. The interventions they have created are the result of those studies and they are based on 7 main principles and two pillars, commitment and trust. The Gottman Method interventions can be done in the office with the counsellor or at home in the form of homework.
They are very effective when working with most of the issues that bring couples to therapy, issues such as communication issues, infidelity, trauma, disconnection, and much more. But it also works to help healthy couples strengthen their relationship, increase intimacy and get closer together.
One of the main approaches is to discover the presence of the “4 Horseman of the apocalypse” (criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling) and replace them with their antidotes.
Therapists that work with the Gottman method, generally use a specific plan. They start with a meeting with both partners, which are followed by an individual meeting with each of them. The goal is to gather as much information as possible from a neutral perspective. The third meeting is again with both partners and it serves to set the course of therapy.
For more information regarding the Gottman method check this page
