The Effectiveness of the Gottman Method

In addition to the body of research guiding and informing the development of the Gottman Method of doing couples therapy and the related Sound Relationship House theory, here have also been quite a few published outcome studies to date on applications of 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. Several studies that focus on the study of the Bringing Baby Home two-day workshop; also reported in the Gottmans’ book, And Baby Makes Three:

Short-term change in couples’ conflict following a transition to parenthood intervention. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 4(4), 239–251. Shapiro, A. F., Gottman, J. M., & Fink, B. C. (2015).

Bringing baby home together: Examining the impact of a couple‐focused intervention on the dynamics within family play, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(3), 337–350. Shapiro, A. F., Nahm, E. Y., Gottman, J. M., & Content, K. (2011).

Short-term change in couples’ conflict following a transition to parenthood intervention, Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 4(4), 239–251. Shapiro, A. F., Gottman, J. M., & Fink, B. C. (2015).

3. A study of the couples psychoeducational workshop, The 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work:

   The effectiveness of the in-person and online Gottman Seven Principles Couple Enhancement Program: A propensity score matching design, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Zahl-Olsen, R., Thuen, F., & Bertelsen, T. B. (2024).
    

4. A study on the application of Gottman Method Couples Therapy for treating couples struggling with affair recovery:

   A Pilot Study Examining the Effectiveness of Gottman Method Couples Therapy Over Treatment-as-Usual Approaches for Treating Couples Dealing with Infidelity, The Family Journal, 32(1), 81-94. Irvine, T. J., Peluso, P. R., Benson, K., Cole, C., Cole, D., Gottman, J. M., & Schwartz Gottman, J. (2024). 

5. 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

6. Outcomes have also been demonstrated with Gay and Lesbian couples by Sam Garanzini and Alapaki Yee at the Gay Couples Institute:

Results of Gottman-Method Therapy with Gay and Lesbian Couples, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43, 674–684. Garanzini, S., Yee, A., Gottman, J., Gottman, J., Cole, C., Preciado, M., Jasculca, C. (2017).

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.
• Emotion Coaching: Dr. Louise Gilbert and a team in the UK have done several studies utilizing emotion coaching in schools, demonstrating efficacy in educational settings
• Infertility: Mehrnoosh Hosseinpoor and a team from Iran published an outcome study on the application of Gottman Method to couples struggling with infertility 
• General Couples Counseling:
  • Neda Deylami and a team in Iran published an outcome study on an 8-week psychoeducational intervention based on the Gottman Sound Relationship House model
  • Afarin Rajaei and a team in Iran published The Effectiveness of Couples Therapy Based on the Gottman Method Among Iranian Couples With Conflicts: A Quasi-Experimental Study
  • Maryam Davoodvandi and a team in Iran published Examining the Effectiveness of Gottman Couple Therapy on Improving Marital Adjustment and Couples’ Intimacy

We are also currently conducting a randomized clinical trial, a study on intensive or marathon-style couples therapy, 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.