Affairs and trauma are two of the most challenging issues clinicians face when working with couples. Both rupture trust and undermine the very foundation on which committed relationships are built.

After studying thousands of couples over the last four decades, we now understand a great deal about the process of healing, and we want to share this knowledge with you.

Dive deep into our proven, research-based approach for treating couples impacted by infidelity and PTSD to learn clinical skills that will empower your couples to not only rebuild their relationship, but also create immunity from future betrayals.

Training Description

Expanding on what you learned in Level 1 Training, this in-depth course will provide you, the clinician, with an unbiased roadmap to compassionately serve your clients and provide hope as they struggle to rebuild a collapsed Sound Relationship House.

This training includes videos of Drs. John and Julie Gottman working with real couples in their private practice, as well as engaging lectures and discussions about Gottman Method Couples Therapy.

Treating Trauma

Dr. Julie Gottman describes the impact of PTSD on committed relationships using real examples of trauma caused by early abandonment, childhood abuse, and military combat. She demonstrates a therapeutic approach that interweaves individual PTSD treatment with Gottman Method Couples Therapy.

Watch Paul and Shantel, the couple featured in our Level 1 Clinical Training and Therapy Sessions: Live videos, as they return to therapy with the Gottmans eight years later. These new films demonstrate powerful couples interventions for PTSD and trauma.

Treating Affairs

Dr. John Gottman unfolds the science behind trust and betrayal and provides the tools needed to create trust and commitment in romantic relationships. The Gottmans describe their impactful “Atone, Attune, and Attach” model for treating affairs. This model provides clinicians with an unbiased approach that compassionately serves both partners as they struggle to rebuild a collapsed marriage.

See brand new films of the Gottmans in their clinical office engaging in intensive therapy with a military couple, a case in which the husband had an affair and suffered from PTSD following his 12 back-to-back deployments overseas. Learn the important variations in assessment and intervention techniques that empower couples to not only rebuild their relationship, but also create immunity from future betrayals.

What will I learn?

You will learn how to recognize the signs of trauma and PTSD and the impact it has on a relationship, how to identify the role trauma plays when there’s been an affair, and assess the impact of an affair on the Sound Relationship House. You will also learn how to suspend your own moral judgment when extramarital affairs are revealed, determine where and how to begin rebuilding a new foundation of trust, and immunize the couple’s relationship from future betrayals. Click here to read the full course outline.

Who is the training for?

This training is for mental health counseling providers, clergy and military chaplains, coaches, educators, students, and interns. It is intended for professionals who want to enhance their competence in conceptualization, assessment, treatment planning, and intervention with couples where an affair and/or trauma has created pain and struggle in their relationship.

As this is an advanced Gottman Training, we expect learners to have a basic understanding of the Gottman Method. At least Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy is required.

What is included in the price?

Included in the registration price is a clinical training manual, which contains Gottman Method Couples Therapy assessments and interventions. You will be awarded a Certificate of Completion from The Gottman Institute.

  • More than 17 hours of video from a recent live workshop conducted by Drs. John and Julie Gottman
  • 285-page printable PDF manual with the content, assessments, interventions, and references discussed in training videos
  • 165-page printable PDF of lecture slides
  • Certificate of Completion from The Gottman Institute

Training Objectives

At the completion of this training, you will be able to:

  • Compare and contrast the psychometric soundness of assessment instruments used to diagnose PTSD, including tools for structured interviews, self-report scales, and psycho-physiological assessment methods.
  • Distinguish between the neurobiological changes associated with PTSD that occur in the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of popular individual therapies for treating PTSD.
  • Compare and contrast research studies on couples therapy methods for treating PTSD.
  • Defend the practice of conducting conjoint therapy to address PTSD during couples therapy by referencing the relevant research findings on the impact of PTSD on relationships, as well as the relationship outcomes associated with individual PTSD treatment.
  • Implement clinical strategies that help “surface” trauma when working with a couple with PTSD.
  • Select clinical interventions that help “explore” trauma at a deeper level once it has surfaced.
  • Facilitate movement from the individual to the dyad when processing a trauma.
  • Teach couples how to conduct a Stress-Reducing Conversation when PTSD is involved.
  • Teach couples how to conduct an Aftermath of a Regrettable Incident Exercise when PTSD is involved.
  • Compare and contrast popular therapies for treating infidelity.
  • Explain how the 24 steps of the “Gottman-Rusbult-Glass” cascade toward betrayal leads to a blurring of boundaries between self and potential others.
  • Explain how a betrayed partner may develop PTSD as a result of their partner’s affair.
  • Apply the Gottman Method Couples Therapy Assessment process with couples who have experienced an affair.
  • Incorporate appropriate additional details when conducting an Assessment feedback session for treating affairs.
  • Facilitate the Atonement phase of Gottman Method Couples Therapy for affairs.
  • Defend the practice of allowing the hurt partner to express anger, insecurity, resentment, fear, and feelings of rejection, rather down-regulating their expression of emotion.
  • Implement appropriate clinical tools to strengthen an affair couple’s Attunement to each other.
  • Teach affair couples how to effectively process Regrettable Incidents.
  • Select appropriate clinical interventions to deepen an affair couple’s attachment to one another.
  • Apply effective clinical strategies to help affair couples prevent relapse.

Training Reviews

Thousands of clinicians nationwide have completed Treating Affairs and Trauma. Here’s what some of them have said about the workshop.

“It was very empowering to learn how I can channel my existing training to better serve couples experiencing these specific challenges.”

– Anonymous evaluation from Seattle, WA

“The Atone, Attune, Attach formula is easy to use, easy to remember, and easy to explain to a couple.”

– Anonymous evaluation from Tampa, FL

“Hearing from both John and Julie is so helpful. They bring a balance to research and application.”

– Anonymous evaluation from Berkeley, CA