By John Gottman PhD
The Marriage Clinic presents a complete marital therapy program based on John Gottman's much heralded research on marital success and failure. In his long-term research with over 700 couples, Gottman discovered certain factors that distinguish happy, stable couples from both unstable, ultimately divorcing couples and stable but unhappy couples. These findings, which are explained here in understandable, nontechnical language, form the basis of his Sound Marital House theory of marriage, which guides the therapy. This therapy has two goals: changing the marital friendship and teaching couples to regulate conflict.
The Marriage Clinic includes a wide range of succinct and useful assessment procedures, and a highly specific, research-based, and modularized treatment program. Here are dozens of questionnaires and interview protocols, as well as methods for moving spouses from gridlock to dialogue. Dr. Gottman provides tools to teach spouses fundamental skills to develop and strengthen their friendship: softened start-up, accepting influence, repair and de-escalation, compromise, and physiological soothing.
The scientifically-based offerings of The Marriage Clinic will enhance any clinician's practice.