Gottman Method Outcome Study

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the “fee” a Certified Gottman Therapist would charge if we participated in the study?

  Fees depend on location, depending on both the individual Certified Gottman Therapist as well as the length of sessions (e.g. longer 90-minute sessions cost more than shorter sessions). The form should provide an estimate based on your state or country as you fill out the application, and once you apply to participate in the study, we will also inform you of a possible estimate of a range of session rates before we schedule a screening call to share more information about the study. Most therapists charge rates consistent with the average rates in their area.

• Do therapists in this study offer a reduced rate?

  Yes. Some but not all Certified Gottman Therapists offer a reduced rate for this study. We do offer this to participants who are often marginalized in couples therapy research including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, low socioeconomic status, disabilities (visible and invisible), etc., to better represent the effectiveness of The Gottman Method for relationships that are not often represented in research. The Gottman Method Couples Therapy has already been established as an Evidence-Based Treamtment for Same-Sex Couples. When responding to the application verification email for the study, please indicate you are interested in the reduced rate.

• Do therapists in this study accept insurance?

  It depends. Some but not all Certified Gottman Therapists accept insurance. Some therapists who do not are still able to offer a Superbill that you can submit to insurance. We would recommend checking with your provider about what they do cover. When responding to the application verification email for the study, please indicate that you are interested in being connected with a therapist who takes insurance and we will do the best we can to find you one.

• Why do I need to cease individual, family, or group therapy for this research study?

  The reason we need you to cease individual and/or group therapy is because it would confound the results of the study. If you are seeing an individual therapist, going to family therapy, or group therapy, we would not be able to say with confidence that The Gottman Method Couples Therapy is what improved the relationship and individual wellbeing. For this reason, we ask that you not participate in any other forms of therapy if you choose to participate in this study.

• When can I restart individual, family, or group therapy?

  You may resume those services once you complete treatment and the 6-month follow-up period has passed, which is when we send the final assessment and wrap up the study. How long treatment takes it completely up to you and your couples therapist. For clarity, this only applies to talk therapy and similar treatment with a licensed therapist. It is okay for this study to continue to see a psychiatrist for medication management throughout.

• About the Research Study Design: Why are we being asked to pay for therapy that is part of a research study?

  There are three parts to our answer based on the current literature regarding research on couples therapy. The current research design was approved by an Institutional Review Board. 

  Part A: The cost.

  Most couples therapy research studies are done in university settings in a controlled environment with the benefit of grant funding to allow the cost of therapy to be free. While there is grant funding in other countries for couples therapy, we have not received funding for this research study because there are no funds offered for couples therapy studies at this time in the United States. Not to mention, with a sample size of 120 couples, by far the largest study on couples therapy to date, that would be a very large grant. Despite this, we feel there is still more research needed. In our part to reduce cost, we do offer the assessments for free which is a $475 value. Some of our Certified Gottman Therapists offer sliding scales and insurance (see the section above). 

  Part B: The Therapist

  Most couples therapy studies are completed in controlled conditions such as a university setting with student therapists under a supervisor who may watch the session live (Christensen, et al., 2005). When a couple sees a therapist in their office, there is no supervisor watching every second of the session. The difference in this study is that the counselors being seen are not students but fully licensed therapists who are specifically trained to work with couples using the Gottman Method. 

  The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Gottman Method Couples Therapy with couples seen in typical therapy offices. Previous studies on the effectiveness of couples therapy indicated that interventions need to be stronger to effectively help couples. This study requires that participating therapists be Certified Gottman Therapists. A Certified Gottman Therapist has completed three levels of training in Gottman Method couples therapy, had multiple videos of their work scrutinized by Master Trainer Gottman Therapists, and passed a video review process demonstrating that they can effectively use Gottman interventions with couples. There are currently only 411 of therapists that meet these qualifications in the world. By agreeing to participate as a therapist in this study they have agreed to follow the Gottman Method protocol by using the appropriate interventions at the appropriate time during treatment.

  Part C: Efficacy Studies In University Settings Do Not Translate to Real Therapy Offices

  The efficacy studies in university settings fail to reproduce similar results in a naturalistic setting such as a typical therapy office (Halford, Pepping, & Petch, 2016). Again, this has to do with supervision as well as the type of therapist being studied. 

  We also know that the screening procedures of university-based outcome studies often include a population that is only 0.5 standard deviation below the mean, meaning they are slightly unhappy (Gottman & Gottman, 2018). However, many couples starting couples therapy are 2.5 standard deviations below the mean indicating high levels of distress (Gottman et al., 2020). This highlights that the university-based outcome studies don’t include the kinds of couples seen in a typical therapist office. Our data from 40,681 couples starting couples therapy indicate that over 80% of couples about to start therapy have serious problems with both conflict and intimacy (Gottman et al., 2020). 

  Furthermore, the university based studies on the effectiveness of couples therapy screen out many couples who struggle with substance abuse, bipolar, and personality disorders (Baucom et al., 2009; Christensen et al. 2010.). Our data indicates that these struggles are the norm and we need to learn how to help couples with these challenges in a therapy office.