Speaker Expertise: Level 2 Training

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Sabrina believes deeply in the Gottman Couples method of therapy and has been drawn to the practical nature of this method, which is so rooted hard research. After working as a family therapist in a school-based program for several years, she opened her private practice in 2010. In 2017, she began training interns and now runs a small group practice, where all of her clinicians use the Gottman Method as their primary methodology.

Early in her career, Sabrina was originally drawn to working with adolescents in schools. But her work there revealed a recognizable pattern: , she noticed that real change in a child’s life only took place when the parents were on the same page — and working toward the same goal. After that, she tried to refocus her work on couples therapy. In 2012, she attended the Level 1 Gottman Method training and began using the tools taught by Dr.s John and Julie Gottman. She instantly felt a difference in her clients’ results; she suddenly had the tool belt she needed that could make lasting change in couples. It was then that her work with couples really became exciting, rather than daunting. She was so enthusiastic about the method that she completed level 1, 2 and 3 in rapid succession in the fall of 2012, although she quickly realized it would take years to become proficient and fully understand the complexities of Gottman Method Couples work. She finished her certification in 2017 and has gone on to become an Advanced Gottman Trainer to help others in the method. e  Twice she has attended the “Art and Science of Love” couples workshop, presented by the Gottmans. Later, she was a roving assistant as Don and Carrie Cole presented. In 2021, Sabrina began presenting the “Art and Science of Love” herself in Portland, Or. She became a trainer for the Gottman Institute and is now a trainer for Levels 1, 2 and 3, which she absolutely loves doing. Prior to becoming a therapist, Sabrina was a teacher, so her methods of training are based in hands-on, active learning. Many have commented that her teaching style helps them learn deeply as they practice and review constantly throughout the training. 

Sabrina has a sub-specialty in both Affair Recovery and Addiction Recovery, and is also certified in treating trauma through EMDR.  

Sabrina understands how nerve wracking it can be to think of entering the Certification Track. She also remembers the daunting process of editing and uploading the clips, not to mention the thought of someone reviewing them! But she has also found ways to make the process easier, and is committed to giving her candidates the support they need to be successful

Throughout the certification process and in the years that followed, Sabrina has experienced the incredible support of the team and colleagues at the Gottman Institute, and the community of fellow Gottman Certified therapists. Her certification process ended up being one of encouragement, profound growth and excellent support. This is the model she follows as she prepares her people for video submissions, and honing their skills as a relationship therapist.  

You can contact Sabrina directly to learn about her consultation pricing and more through her Gottman Referral Network profile here.

Primarily working within the local international community, Julie has counselled clients from over 50 countries. At her private practice, she helps distressed and disconnected couples to rediscover and reignite friendship and intimacy, and improve their communication skills.

Julie is the principal Gottman Method Couples Therapy teacher based in Europe and is certified to present all three levels of Gottman Method training, as well as the Art & Science of Love couples workshop. She also serves as a consultant for clinicians seeking certification in Gottman Therapy. She has translated many of the Gottman intervention materials into Dutch.

Ultimately, Julie’s mission is to support couples to become closer and kinder with each other, so they can create safe and loving homes for themselves and their families, hereby positively affecting the world around them. She works on achieving this goal by counseling couples through therapy or workshops, by teaching mental health professionals to integrate the Gottman Method into their own work with couples, and by educating and speaking in local and international organizations and media outlets.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Julie is a Licensed Psychologist based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Since starting her private practice in 2010, her passion has been working with couples. Being located in a very international city, Julie has had the privilege of counselling clients from over 50 countries, allowing her to develop a particular sensitivity and expertise when it comes to working with cross cultural couples. As the first Level 1, 2 and 3 clinical trainer and Certification Track consultant in Europe, Julie aims to establish Gottman Method Therapy as the leading approach to couples therapy across this continent and beyond.

Teaching GMT to mental health professionals from throughout the region continues to be a wonderful and enriching experience. During her first training with John and Julie Gottman, Julie realized they were imparting an incredible set of skills, tools and knowledge that would give her a new way to conceptualize and work with couples that was more helpful than anything she had learned before. Therefore, Julie continued to do all available trainings through The Gottman Institute, including Treating Affairs and Trauma, Bringing Baby Home, Marathon Therapy and the Art and Science of Love. After becoming a Certified Gottman Therapist, she discovered a new passion as a trainer and consultant as well. As a consultant Julie feels privileged to guide consultees through their final step in becoming Certified Gottman Therapists and do so with empathy and positive encouragement. She remembers the nerve-wracking experience of sharing her videos with her own consultant and how she was gently guided to finetune my skills. Julie strives to do the same with her consultees and look forward to supporting the next wave of CGT’s worldwide. Julie offers consultation in both English and Dutch.

Dr. Don Allen Ph.D. is a Clinical Social Worker in private practice. His corporation is: Columbia Counseling Consulting and Research LLC. His website is: donallenpdh.com. He has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York. Since 2012, Dr. Allen specializes in treating marriages and emotional trauma. He has taught at universities in the past, full time and as an adjunct professor. He is a Certified Gottman Therapist and this year he was welcomed by The Gottman Institute (TGI) as a Master Trainer. Previous specialties included working with children and adolescents and drug/alcohol. He will occasionally continue to see clients in these populations. He has worked in in-patient and out-patient settings. In 2021, he was welcomed into Susan Johnson’s International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT) as a Certified (EFT) Therapist. He is also certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and is also a consultant to educate and train fellow clinicians in this modality. In addition to a thriving full-time private practice, Dr. Allen enjoys public speaking and conducting workshops and retreats for the Gottman Institute. He is authorized by TGI to present to the public: The Arts and Science of Love, The Seven Principles training, and Bringing Baby Home, as well as the level 1, 2 and 3 clinical trainings. He works with couples and individuals and also conducts intensive marathon sessions.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

You can contact Don directly to learn about his pricing and more through his Gottman Referral Network profile here.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Dr. Bumberry is a clinical psychologist with more than 25 years experience helping couples create connection and deepen their bonds. During the past decade, the Gottman Method, with its clinical clarity and impactful interventions, has been at the center of this work. In addition to being a Certified Gottman Therapist, he is also active in presenting the Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 workshops and serves as a video reviewer.

Being part of this community continues to inform Dr. Bumberry’s practice and enriches his professional life. While there are many rewarding aspects to belonging to the Gottman community, one of the most gratifying is the opportunity to serve as a consultant to clinicians pursuing certification.

Consultation is the central process for helping you integrate the Gottman Method ideas and interventions into your work. In addition to becoming proficient in using the core Gottman Method interventions, understanding their “spirit” is essential in learning to effectively blend them with your own therapeutic style. The process emphasizes using case consultation and videotape review as the most effective ways to provide focused, clinically relevant feedback regarding your work.

You can contact William directly to learn about his pricing and more through his Gottman Referral Network profile here.

Vagdevi has over 30 years of experience as a therapist, consultant, and educator. Vagdevi has been a certified Gottman Couples Therapist and workshop leader since 2006. She offers the “Art and Science of Love” weekend workshop for couples, developed by Dr. John Gottman, in Austin and in other cities in the US. A Master professional trainer for the Gottman Institute, Vagdevi has presented to professional and lay audiences in the US, Canada, and India. Vagdevi incorporates mindfulness, neurobiology, and positive psychology into her presentations on relationships, and has published a book chapter on Positive Couple Relationships from evidence based research around the world and several articles on the Gottman method of couples therapy.

Vagdevi is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Relationships, a community counseling, training, and outreach center that specializes in promoting flourishing relationships in all spheres based on best practices in relationship science. The Center for Relationships has a research program called Love across Cultures, which looks at committed and intimate relationships in different cultures as well as inter-cultural relationships. The outreach and education programs at the center include couples intensives and retreats, groups, and community forums on healthy relationships, conflict management, trust recovery, and parenting.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Vagdevi Meunier, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas. She has a private clinical and consulting practice in Austin where she specializes in couples and family therapy, couples workshops, training and supervision, and organizational consultation. A native of India, Vagdevi has extensive experience with multicultural psychology, especially eastern influences on psychological practice, and cross-cultural research on relationships. She has over 25 years of experience as a therapist, consultant, and educator and has been full-time core faculty in the Master of Arts in Counseling program at St. Edwards since 2004 where she teaches primarily marriage and family therapy courses.

Her primary clinical expertise is as a Certified Gottman Therapist and a certified Gottman Trainer Workshop Leader. She offers the Art & Science of Love workshop for couples twice a year in Austin and has joined other workshop leaders to offer this workshop for couples in other cities. She is also an approved professional trainer and consultant with The Gottman Institute and has presented nationally and internationally on the Gottman Method including Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 trainings around the US and Canada.

“I have learned much under the guidance of Dr. Vagdevi Meunier who is an exceptional relationship therapist and consultant.”

“I absolutely enjoyed working with Dr. Vagdevi, she is amazing!! “

You can contact Vagdevi directly to learn about her consultation pricing and more through her Gottman Referral Network profile here.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Trish is a clinical psychologist with special interests in couples therapy, trauma, and the training and mentoring of intern psychologists and therapists generally. She has been working with couples since 1998 and has found the Gottman Method Couples Therapy to be the most successful and reliable evidenced based approach around. She has many years of experience working with war veterans and their partners who present with a complex array of clinical issues in addition to their relationship problems. Trish is an experienced Australian Psychology Board approved supervisor with more than 15 years of training and mentoring intern psychologists to full registration. Her approach is supportive, pragmatic and commonsense mixed with a little creative mischievousness.

Trish was the first certified Australian Certified Gottman Therapist and is an approved Trainer for Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 Gottman Professional Training Workshops and the Art and Science of Love Couples Workshop which she runs regularly around Australia. Trish is passionate about developing a strong professional and well trained network of Gottman therapists throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia and has established the Relationship Institute Australasia as the mechanism to achieve this.

You can contact Trish directly to learn about her consultation pricing and more through her Gottman Referral Network profile here.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Are you looking to find some peace and comfort in your life and/or relationship? Or want to learn some skills to heal from the hurts and pains you have experienced in life and/or your relationship?

Tammy has a tremendous amount of compassion for each and every person she meets, and is very passionate about working with couples through their journey using the Gottman Methods of therapy. With over 15 years experience working with couples in various stages of their relationship, Tammy is able to help couples learn the skills and techniques to move through time together in a more harmonious respectful manner.

With extensive training in the Gottman Methods, Tammy’s areas of specialty with couples therapy are trauma, marital dissatisfaction, betrayal, affair recovery and addiction recovery. Relationships are not easy and when these are plaguing a relationship, it can make life as a whole more difficult to manage. Her approach is with gentleness, care and compassion, when communicating with each and every person.

You can contact Tammy directly to learn about her consultation pricing and more through her Gottman Referral Network profile here.

Stacy has a background in adventure therapy and has worked for Outward Bound and has been an adventure guide and climbing instructor. She has also worked for over a decade in agency settings with children who have been abused and neglected.

Her time now is devoted to private practice, doing therapy with couples as well as individuals who have experienced trauma. Stacy does private therapy, marathon therapy, leads The Art and Science of Love weekend workshops, trains therapists in all levels of the Gottman Method, and serves as a consultant for therapists pursuing certification in the method. She particularly loves to help couples heal from affairs using the affair recovery model created by the Gottmans.

Stacy is currently working on creating a new workshop for The Gottman Institute, which is focused on helping single people learn how to use the method in order to create healthy relationships.

You can view her website here.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Stacy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in lovely Ashland, Oregon. She considers herself lucky to have discovered the Gottman Method in Graduate School at Portland State University in 2003. The method gave Stacy the framework and the tools to deal with difficult couples. She passionately pursued certification in the method because of how powerful it is. Getting the news that she had passed certification was one of the best days of her life. It has continued to be a blessing to be in this community of amazing clinicians and she has formed some very close friendships with other Certified Gottman Therapists.

She is now lucky to have the chance to lead you through certification. This is an important process, and developing a trusting rapport with you would be her privilege. Stacy has a background in athletics and she has always found as both an athlete and a coach that positive feedback and encouragement is just as crucial as the feedback on what you need to improve. Stacy is nurturing and positive and she likes to make the process fun and engaging. She wants to make your journey on the Gottman certification track as wonderful as her own was.

In addition to private couples therapy, she is also a certified EMDR therapist working with trauma survivors. Stacy also provide marathon therapy for couples, lead the Art and Science of Love couples workshops, and train therapists in the Gottman Method. In her free time Stacy loves paddle boarding, and being with her dog. Good luck on your journey!

You can contact Stacy directly to learn about her consultation pricing and more through her Gottman Referral Network profile here.

To learn more about Sinead Smyth, visit her website here.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

The consultation process is rewarding and confidence-building as you learn to integrate theory and practice with your own personal clinical style. It can also be challenging, anxiety-provoking, and overwhelming at times. As a consultant and as a long time clinical supervisor, Sinead is a believer in creating a safe and supportive environment early on where you feel free to share your work, learn from mistakes and celebrate successes.

Sinead has been a licensed Marriage and Family therapist for 16 years and am a Level 1, 2 and 3 Gottman Trainer and couples’ workshop leader. In her private practice, she has found her training in Gottman Method to be invaluable in its depth, breadth and practical applications with distressed couples. Consultation is the time where you truly hone your skills and deepen your understanding of the complexity of this approach.

Sinead’s goal is for you to find the consultation process professionally and personally enriching in its combination of support and developing proficiency in the core skills needed for certification. She look forward to supporting you on your journey towards being a Certified Gottman therapist.

“I want to give a HUGE mention that my consultant, Sinead Smyth, was fantastic. She was wonderful in providing clinical guidance, helping me use the Gottman interventions with more skill/finesse, and also providing support in the long process. I have loved working with her and the only downside to now being certified is that our regular consultation ends. Thank you, Sinead!”

You can contact Sinead directly to learn about her consultation pricing and more through her Gottman Referral Network profile here.

Dr. Scott Wolfe is a Clinical Psychologist and Senior Certified Gottman Method Couples Therapist, Trainer and Consultant. Dr. Wolfe has specialized in individual and couples counseling for over twenty-five years and has helped hundreds of couples and individuals struggle through their darkest times to find their full potential. Dr. Wolfe has trained with leading family therapists at his predoctoral internship with The University of California, San Francisco- Fresno Medical Education Program and at the California School of Professional Psychology-Fresno (APA Fully Approved) where he completed his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. Later he was on the Adjunct Faculty there and taught Marital and Family Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on the graduate level.

*Not Accepting Consultees*

Scott is a clinical psychologist who has been specializing in couples, family, and individual therapy for over 25 years. He first became aware of John Gottman’s research when completing his dissertation which was a longitudinal study of how couples adjust over their first year of marriage. He was so delighted to find out in the late 1990s that all of John’s incredible research that he had been reading over the years to inform his work with couples was now the basis of a research-based approach to treating couples. Scott attended the Level 1 training more than 10 years ago and he has been hooked ever since. Scott’s success rate with couples and his confidence in working with them dramatically increased. He became a Certified Gottman Therapist in 2006 and an Art & Science of Love Workshop Leader in 2007. He is also a Certified Gottman Trainer at Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3, and he presents Gottman clinical trainings for professionals on the east coast.

Consulting with clinicians who are pursuing certification is one of Scott’s favorite professional activities. His goal is to foster a safe learning environment where you will feel comfortable using case consultation and video reviewing to share your work and get important feedback. His aim is to help you master the core Gottman interventions necessary for certification and to develop confidence in the use of the Gottman Method. Scott’s style is supportive, collaborative, and very focused on your efforts to complete your goal of certification and to join the international community of Certified Gottman Therapists who are committed to excellence in clinical work with couples.

Since 1988 he has presented hundreds of talks to youth and parents as a youth worker, and later to recovering addicts as an addictions counsellor. After being Gottman certified in 2006, he has enjoyed presenting over 30 times in different Gottman trainings and workshops which include: The Art and Science of Love Gottman Workshops, teaching Level One and Two Gottman Method to other clinicians, delivering presentations at the Annual Gottman Conference, and ASL trainings. He also provides ongoing consultation for therapists working on certification. In 2012 he will be the first to present the Level 3 in Canada.

“My goal is to help others feel very confident in using the method and eventually promoting it to their world. Others have said they love the way I present because of my use of humor, theoretical knowledge, personal experiences, and passion. “My wife and I have been married since 1988 and I have 2 perfect daughters and have fostered children for 16 years, which has taught me to be sensitive to any drama that might come our way. Cheers!”

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Once Darren discovered the Gottman Method of working with couples, he has done everything possible to learn as much as he could. Darren and his colleague, Lawrence Stoyanowski, have developed their entire practice around it called, bestmarriages.ca and have enjoyed presenting 20 Art and Science of Love workshops to further spread the Gottman word. He has presented a number of Gottman Level 1 and Level 2 workshops as well as talks on marketing tips at a couple of Gottman conferences. Now as a consultant Darren wants to help others feel very confident in using the method and eventually promoting it to their area. He will work with groups and individuals.

Darren has been in practice for 11 years and before that was working in various professional vocations including addiction counselling, youth and family work since 1988. He tends to work using a lot of creativity and encouragement to keep going when it things feel tough. He has a lot of experience with technology and loves helping people through this consultation process quickly and smoothly. Darren feels it is best to get right at using the method with clients and start taping sessions immediately just to get the bugs out and not lose motivation by waiting too long.

Darren is a real believer in learning by doing, making mistakes and talking about what to do better next time. Darren and his wife have been married since 1988 and they have 5 children — all girls – (some are foster children) so he has learned to be sensitive to any drama that might come our way.

You can contact Darren directly to learn about his pricing and more through his Gottman Referral Network profile here.