Gottman Method Couples Therapy in Seattle

Our Gottman Method Therapists

What Is the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy?

The Gottman Method is an evidence-based couples therapy intervention. Based on years of relationship research conducted by Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Gottman at the Gottman Institute, the Gottman method is a clinical framework that helps couples build a strong foundation of connection, trust, and shared meaning.

The Sound Relationship House Theory is the foundation of the Gottman Method. It describes the things that make relationships strong, stable, and fulfilling for a lifetime. A sound relationship house is built on a foundation of deep friendship: knowing each other well, showing mutual respect for each other, and maintaining an emotional connection. At the same time, a couple must manage conflict in healthy, constructive ways.

As you and your partner strengthen your trust and commitment to each other, you’ll come together and support one another, supporting each other’s goals and creating a shared sense of meaning in your relationship.

The work is nuanced, but as you work together, you and your partner will find aspects of caring and commitment that replace negative conflict patterns with positive interactions, helping you build a solid, healthy relationship for years to come.

How Does Gottman Method Therapy for Couples Work?

Gottman Method couples therapy begins with a comprehensive assessment, the Gottman Relationship Checkup. It’s an evidence-based tool that you and your partner complete individually to help you understand your relationship as it is, identifying its strengths and areas that may need support.

After the individual assessment process, your answers are combined to give your therapist a clear picture of your relationship and areas you may need to focus on during couples therapy, including your:

• Emotional connection
• Communication styles
• Conflict dynamics
• Trust
• Shared values

In each therapy session, you’ll learn more about how your relationship dynamics developed and how to shift them. You’ll learn practical, research-backed skills to rebuild your relationship and improve your problem-solving skills, to increase your intimacy, affection, and respect, while reducing any negative communication patterns, allowing you to experience greater empathy, deeper understanding, and have more positive, supportive interactions with each other.

Benefits of the Gottman Method

Whether you’re working through a difficult period or want to improve your relationship health, the Gottman Method gives you practical tools and skills to help you reconnect and move forward together. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to couples therapy. The Gottman Method focuses on your unique relationship dynamic and helps you build a toolkit specific to you and your partner, helping you

• Feel understood and connected
• Deepen intimacy
• Build trust
• Approach challenges with a more positive perspective
• Strengthen friendship
• Share your life dreams and purpose
• Talk honestly without hurting each other

At its core, the Gottman Method helps couples build a solid foundation of friendship and respond to each other’s emotional needs more consistently. It also teaches couples how to manage conflict in a healthy, less reactive way, so disagreements don’t escalate or cause lasting damage.

Over time, couples find they’re better at supporting each other’s goals, facing challenges as a team, and creating shared meaning in their relationship.

Who Should Consider Gottman Method Couples Therapy?

Decades of research from the Gottman Institute identified the “Four Horsemen,” negative communication patterns that can predict the breakdown of a relationship:

• Criticism
• Defensiness
• Contempt
• Stonewalling

Couples therapy rooted in the Gottman Method can help couples learn how to recognize the Four Horsemen and replace them with healthier, more constructive communications.

While Gottman Therapy can benefit any relationship, including married couples, unmarried but committed partners, and LGBTQ+ couples, it’s best suited for couples experiencing relationship issues, including:

• Find themselves in chronic conflict
• Have experienced infidelity (including micro cheating or an emotional affair)
• Are emotionally detached or distant from their partner
• Have trouble communicating
• Experiencing challenges or conflicts around a specific issue (like money, parenting, or sex)

Gottman Therapy Articles

Gottman Therapy Pricing

Therapy creates a space for you to experience healing and progress in a way that can change your life. But of course, it’s also an investment of both time and finances. When you’re ready to commit to healing and transformation, here is what you can expect.

Initial Intake Appointment
(50 minutes) $250 – Includes Gottman Assessment

Standard Session
(50 minutes) $210

Insurance

We do not participate with any insurance panels. Anchor Light Therapy is considered an out-of-network provider.

As a courtesy to any individual clients who wish to utilize their insurance benefits, we are happy to verify your out-of-network plan benefits to tell you what portion, if any, may be covered by your health insurance provider.

Out-of-Network Insurance Options