The Workshop Program
John Gottman, Ph.D. has studied and researched the question: What makes marriages work? Studying and following 3,000 couples for 35 years, we now know what works and what doesn't work in relationships. Based on his research, Drs. John & Julie Gottman have designed a workshop to teach couples how to foster romance and harmony in their relationships. This two day workshop has been offered in Seattle, Washington by the Gottmans for over 10 years and is now being offered nationally and internationally by Certified Gottman Workshop Leaders trained personally by John and Julie Gottman.
If you have a strong relationship, this workshop is designed to strengthen your relationship with insights and tools to make it a great one. If your relationship is distressed, this workshop will provide you with a road map for repair.
What to Expect
You will learn what the research "Masters" can teach us about easy steps that increase romance, intimacy, and closer emotional connection. We will cover specific techniques and tools for managing conflict and avoiding the "Four Horsemen", patterns of conflict that erode relationships and have been identified as predictors of relationship dissatisfaction and divorce.
Clear concepts for identifying relationship strengths and areas that need work will be covered, helping couples to understand why things go well when they do, and what leads to relationship difficulties. At the end of the workshop you will leave with your partner with a greater understanding of your relationship and exactly what it takes to repair, improve, and enhance the relationship.
This is not a therapy group, and there is no group work or public disclosure. This is a psychoeducational workshop where couples will be presented with lectures on the research and on the relationship tools, then work privately on the exercises. Both presenters are Gottman Certified Therapists and Certified Workshop Leaders and will be available to support couples one-to-one with the exercises.
Day 1: Learn how to build fondness, admiration, and closeness in your relationship
Day 2: Work on conflict management while learning new communication skills
1. The five basic questions:
- How is your marriage/relationship doing?
- What makes relationships change, for better or worse?
- If your marriage is in trouble, how can you turn it around?
- If your marriage is doing well, how can you ensure that your relationship will continue to grow?
- As your relationship improves, how can you make changes last?
2. Assessing your relationship:
- Learn to recognize the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and what to do if they are attacking your relationship
- Learn to recognize the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and what to do if they are attacking your relationship
- Learn about the effects of physiological flooding and how it impedes conflict resolution
3. Building a "Sound Relationship House" the model for this research-based workshop:
- Learn how Love Maps provides solid foundation for intimacy
- Use the Fondness and Admiration System to renew respect and care for one another
- Create and Emotional Love Bank Account that you can draw upon in times of stress
- Develop your Conflict management and problem-solving skills, including the four techniques of effective conflict resolution: Softened Start-up, Accepting Influence, Repair Work, and De-escalation
- Find out how to discover and talk about your dreams and aspirations for yourself, your partner, and your relationship
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