Gottman Method Couples Therapy
Learn practical tools to navigate conflict, deepen understanding, and strengthen your relationship.
How I Can Help
Most couples seek my help because conflict, stress, or emotional distance has started to erode their goodwill, connection, and sense of partnership. When this happens, even everyday conversations can feel tense, defensive, or emotionally unsafe.
Some couples face deeper moments of crisis: Infidelity, the possibility of separation, grief, illness, and other major life disruptions. Problems that need knowledge and skilled guidance for your relationship to survive.
Whatever has brought you here, Gottman Method Couples Therapy provides a structured, compassionate space to understand what’s happening, rebuild connection, and repair what’s been lost – and to learn how to disagree without losing each other.
How Gottman Method Couples Therapy Works
Drs John and Julie Gottman have identified the behaviours and patterns that strengthen relationships, as well as the patterns that predict distress and relationship breakdown, based on over 40 years of rigorous relationship research.
They have created a practical framework for building resilient, emotionally connected relationships. This helps couples understand the skills needed for vibrant, affectionate relationships.
Using research-based tools, therapy focuses on deepening friendship, managing conflict more safely, building shared meaning, and sustaining positive change in everyday life.
Beginning with thorough assessment, therapy sessions are shaped collaboratively, tailored to your goals and paced to suit your lives. You can be confident that I will develop a deep understanding of your needs and goals.
What to Expect
Initial Consultation: Joint Session: The initial joint session focuses on your relationship history, exploring in a relaxed and non-judgemental approach how your relationship now functions, past issues that have led you to this point and your hopes for the future.
Individual Assessments: Each partner then attends a separate confidential session to explore their perspectives, family background and their hopes and goals for therapy.
The Online Gottman Relationship Check-Up: Each person completes a confidential online questionnaire based on the Sound Relationship House model. The Relationship Check-Up identifies your relationship strengths and challenges.
Joint Session: Feedback and Treatment Planning: You receive your Relationship Check-up Report and feedback, giving you a clear understanding of the therapy plan to achieve your relationship goals.
My Areas of Expertise
- Healing from affairs and betrayal
- Repairing emotional distance
- Adjusting to parenthood pressures
- In-laws and other family conflicts
- Alcohol and addiction recovery
- Addressing impact of past traumas
- Communication difficulties
- Repetitive conflicts and escalating fights
- Improving trust and openness
- Increasing romance, passion and good sex
Intensive Couple Therapy
Intensive Therapy offers couples a focused, highly effective alternative to traditional weekly sessions. Creating dedicated time to address urgent concerns and break through entrenched patterns, rather than spreading the work across months.
This format is ideal for couples facing a relationship crisis, those who travel frequently, live out of town, or simply have schedules that make regular appointments difficult.
Elizabeth offers in-person intensives in her consulting room and peaceful gardens, with option for Zoom appointments available for assessment and follow-up sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Find answers to some of the most common questions about Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Learn what to expect, how the process works, and whether this evidence-based approach is the right fit for your relationship.
I recommend couples start by booking the four interview assessment sessions and complete the Gottman Relationship Checkup within two weeks, if possible. You then have clear, valid information to decide your next steps.
We will discuss a therapy plan based on this information, your circumstances, and finances.
Every couple is different. Some couples benefit from 5–10 session of therapy to strengthen communication and connection. More distressed relationships may require longer-term work. We will discuss recommendations together based on your circumstances and goals.
Yes. Some couples prefer the convenience and comfort of online therapy, while others value the neutral space provided by in-person sessions. Many couples choose a combination of both.
No. Therapy is designed to support clarity, understanding, and skill-building. Sometimes this leads to repair and renewed connection. My role is to support your wellbeing and help you make thoughtful, informed decisions about your future.
Some couples may decide to explore a respectful Healing Separation process as part of therapy planning. more information is available about Healing Separation, on request.
Couples therapy is not appropriate where there is serious violence, untreated severe mental illness, coercive control, or current risk of harm. In these situations, individual specialist support is recommended first.
Book a complimentary 15-minute consultation
A relaxed, no obligation conversation to see if therapy feels like the right fit for you.
