Speaker Specialization: Addiction and Recovery

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

In her 40 years professional career, Lynda worked in community mental health, directed alcohol and drug treatment programs – both free-standing and hospital based – taught at the university level, spoke at professional conferences, consulted with businesses and employee assistance programs, and provided educational seminars for professional and community groups. Her private practice, Menlo Marriage Works, was located in Menlo Park, California where she enjoyed 15+ years collaborating closely with other healthcare professionals.

Early on in private practice, Lynda felt lost when attempting to work with couples. After considering various training programs, she attended Level 1 with John Gottman in San Francisco, and was hooked!

Becoming a Certified Gottman Therapist in 2003 was and is a highlight of her professional career, and Lynda appreciate being able to coach other skilled therapists as they use and begin to experience the power of Gottman Method.

In Lynda’s association with TGI, she also conducted ASL workshops for couples. In “retirement” she has enjoyed full time RV travel but have been fortunate to continue her association with The Gottman Institute and her role as a Consultant and Video Reviewer for therapists in the Certification Track.

Lynda recently settled into a permanent home in the Black Hills of South Dakota, becoming a South Dakota Licensed MFT. Lynda and her husband have 4 grown children and 8 grandchildren.

*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.

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.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Michael was introduced to Gottman Method during his practicum year and quickly became enamored of it. He found that it gave him the competence and confidence to be a better couples therapist and the couples that he works with the skills they needed to improve their relationship. The consultation process was both challenging and supportive and it helped him to hone his skills as a couples therapist and to integrate Gottman Method into his practice. He would hope to provide the same kind of support and challenge for consultees.

Michael is also a Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Clinical Trainer and an Art and Science of Love Couples Workshop Leader.

He is interested in working with diverse populations (and consultees). Prior to starting his private practice in Jacksonville in August of 2017, Michael worked in community mental health and substance abuse treatment for 13 years, the last 8 with the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Eastern Arizona. He also has experience in Latin America and is fluent in Spanish. Prior to his career in marriage and family therapy, Michael was in pastoral work for 17 years. He lived and worked in Peru for 10 years. One of his dreams is to train therapists in Gottman Method in Peru and in other parts of Latin America. Michael is happy to provide consultation in both English and Spanish.

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

Dr. Navarra developed the Couple Recovery Development Approach (CRDA), a relational model of addiction assessment and treatment based on his research at Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California. Integrating CRDA with the Sound Relationship House model Dr. Navarra designed a two-day workshop for recovering couples, Roadmap for the Journey, and a one-day training workshop for therapists and counselors, Couples and Addiction Recovery. Dr. Navarra and Dr. John Gottman are collaborating on a randomized clinical trial of the CRDA model in treatment programs. Dr. Navarra teaches graduate classes on addictive disorders at Santa Clara University.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Robert has been in private practice for over 25 years, and now work primarily with couples. He is an Art & Science of Love Workshop Leader, and a Gottman Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 Trainer. He has had the privilege to co-author a book chapter with Dr. John Gottman, titled “Gottman Method Therapy: From Theory to Practice”, in Case Studies in Couple Therapy: Theory-Based Approaches (Carson & Casado-Kehoe, Eds., 2011).

As a Research Associate at Mental Research Institute (MRI) Robert co-founded Center for Couples in Recovery and developed the “Couple Recovery Development Approach” (CRDA), based on original, ongoing research over the last 10 years at MRI. In collaboration with Dr. John Gottman and the Relationship Research Institute and blending research models, Dr. Gottman and Robert presented a workshop, training therapists and addiction counselors in this relational approach to addiction recovery and collaborated in designing a CRDA weekend workshop for couples recovering from addiction that is now being offered in several treatment programs. CRDA will be studied in randomized clinical trials looking at outcomes of working with couples in early recovery verses standard individually-oriented recovery approaches.

“Dr. Bob Navarra was a wonderful consultant and his wisdom, kindness, and encouragement were invaluable.”