The Effectiveness of the Gottman Method

There have been three published outcome studies to date with randomized clinical trials on Gottman Method programs.

1. A dismantling study of the two-day The Art and Science of Love workshop with one year follow-up:

A component analysis of a brief psycho-educational couples’ workshop: one-year follow-up results, Journal of Family Therapy, Babcock, J. C., Gottman, J. M., Ryan, K. D. and Gottman, J. S. (2013).

2. A study that focused on the study of the Bringing Baby Home two-day workshop; also reported in the Gottmans’ book, And Baby Makes Three:

The Baby and the Marriage: Identifying factors that buffer against decline in marital satisfaction after the first baby arrives, Journal of Family Psychology, Shapiro, A.F., Gottman, J.M., and Carrere, S. (2000).

3. Outcomes are also presented in this series of papers treating situational domestic violence with very good results at 18 month follow up with observational, archival, and physiological data:

1. Reducing Situational Violence in Low-Income Couples by Fostering Healthy Relationship and Conflict Management Skills
2. Physiological Reactivity in Low-Income, Situationally Violent Couples: Impact of Conjoint Skills-Based Treatment for Couples
3. Creating Healthy Relationships in Low-Income, Violent Couples: Reducing Conflict and Encouraging Relationship Skills

Several other clinical trials on Gottman Method programs have been completed with overseas populations:

• Emotion Coaching: Sophie Havighurst, Ann Harley and team of Melbourne, Australia completed a number of randomized clinical trials:
  • Tuning In to Kids: An Emotion-Focused Parenting Program – Initial Findings from a Community Trial
  • Tuning in to Kids: Improving Emotion Socialization Practices in Parents of Preschool Children
  • Tuning in to Kids: An Effectiveness Trial of a Parenting Program Targeting Emotion Socialization of Preschoolers
  • An Emotion-Focused Early Intervention for Children with Emerging Conduct Problems
  • Tuning in to Teens: Improving Parent Emotion Socialization to Reduce Youth Internalizing Difficulties
  • Improving Parenting of Toddlers’ Emotions Using an Emotion Coaching Parenting Program: A Pilot Study of Tuning in to Todddlers
  • Tuning into Kids: Reducing Young Children’s Behavior Problems Using an Emotion Coaching Parenting Program
  • Dads Tuning in to Kids: Piloting a New Parenting Program Targeting Fathers’ Emotion Coaching Skills

• Emotion Coaching: Dr. Christina Choi of Korea, has written several books and papers on the use of Emotion Coaching with the Korean population.

We are also currently conducting three randomized clinical trials, a replication and extension of the domestic violence study, a study on treating affairs, and a study treating addiction. See Dr. Gottman’s Principia Amoris for the mathematical basis of Gottman work.

In addition to those listed above, below are other key articles reviewing the effectiveness of the Gottman Method. Also see complete research citations here.

• Empirical Status and Basis of Gottman Method Couples Therapy
• Reliability & Validity of the Gottman Sound Relationship House Scales
• Proximal-Change Experiment
• Promoting Healthy Children by Supporting Healthy Couples: Impacts of Relationship Education for a Diverse Array of Couples

These articles are provided for informational purposes only and are not authorized for any other use. For permission to reproduce or disseminate, please contact the publishers of each journal directly.