Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Level 1 - Bridging the Couple Chasm

Montana Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors Association
College of Technology – Billings, MT
October 9th & 10th, 2009

8:30 – 9:00 am	Registration Check-in
9:00 – 10:30 am	The Research: What Makes Relationships Succeed or Fail? What is different about Gottman Method Couples Therapy? What is dysfunctional about relationships when they are ailing? The “Masters” and “Disasters” of relationships: Exploding some common myths Negative and positive sentiment overrides Friendship, Intimacy, Positive Affect Systems The Shared Meaning System From a checklist to The Sound Relationship House Theory
10:30 – 10:45 am	BREAK

10:45- 12:00 pm	How to assess a relationship: Using The Sound Relationship House Theory to assess a relationship’s strengths and areas that need improvement

12:00 – 1:30 pm	LUNCH
1:30 – 3:00 pm	The Assessment Sessions Session 1 – Office Disclosure and Office Policy Reviewed, How Therapy Works, Assessing the Couple Together Couple’s Narrative Oral History Interview: The Relationship History and Philosophy Videotape: A 10 minutes Conflict Interaction and Physiology (pulse oximeter) Discuss the Shared Meaning Session Ending Session 1- Preparing Couple for Individual Sessions- No Secrets Assessment: Written Questions Session 2 – Individual Sessions Session 3 – The Therapeutic Contract: Discussing and Deciding about Goals. Summary of Strengths and Areas that Need Improvement
3:00 – 3:15 pm	BREAK
3:15 – 4:15 pm	Film: Assessment
4:15 – 5:00 pm	Question and Answer

9:00 – 9:45 am	Introduction to Intervention- The Philosophy of the Therapy Assumptions of the Therapy Overview of the Therapy Goals of the Therapy
9:45 – 10:15 am	Conflict Management Rapport Intervention and film
10:15 – 10:30 am	BREAK

10:30 – 11:50 am	Conflict Management, continued Ending the Four Horsemen and film Dream-Within-Conflict and film Building the Basic Skills (Softened Startup, Accepting Influence, Repair and De-escalation, Physiological Soothing, Compromise) Aftermath of a Fight and film
11:50 – 12:00 pm	Questions and Answers

12:00 – 1:30 pm	MLCPCA LUNCH MEETING with newly-elected AMHCA President-Elect TOM FERRO (Annual Business Meeting- All LCPC invited to attend)

1:30 – 3:15 pm	Building Friendship and Shared Meaning Build Love Maps and film Turn Towards: The Stress-Reducing Conversation and film Build Rituals of Connection and film Creating Shared Meaning and film
3:15 – 3:30 pm	BREAK
3:30 – 4:00 pm	Process of the Therapy
4:00 – 4:15 pm	Summary
4:15 – 4:30 pm	What’s Next: Additional Training
4:30 – 5:00 PM	Question and Answer Session