Speaker Specialization: Affairs

As a Certified Gottman Therapist for The Gottman Institute, Dr. Young serves as a Consultant for therapists pursuing certification and leads the Art & Science of Love Couple’s Workshops. In her private practice, she has seen thousands of couples in all stages of relationship (dating, pre-marital, married/cohabitating, transitioning to parenthood, post-affair, divorced) in couples counseling, marathon therapy, and workshop formats.

Dr. Nancy owns and runs Pathways to Wellness, a multi-specialty private practice that includes six therapists and three therapy dogs, all of whom have some training in Gottman Method couples therapy, in Costa Mesa, California. She is passionate about diversity as she believes that every relationship is a cross-cultural and transpersonal experience.

“Current research studies have now shown us that good relationships have the capacity to heal and elevate every aspect of our lives, to reduce fear and physical pain, to lessen depression, to increase productivity and creativity, to lower blood pressure, to extend our lives, and make them happier and much more fun. In a time when so many of us are longing for community, I find it surprising that we don’t teach more about how to actually do great relationships starting at least by early high school, especially now that we have great research from the Gottmans and others to give us such clear, easy-to-apply tools!”

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

You might be thinking, “I feel pretty awkward about this videotaping thing and I really hate to be watched, especially when I’m learning something new!” If so, you’re not alone. One of the things Nancy loves most about the Gottman model is that it’s so collaborative and respectful. The model honors the experience and intellect of all clinicians interested in the Gottman work. From the beginning, John and Julie have incorporated the best of other models in the work and encouraged CGTs to contribute to a growing understanding about how to best help couples. They have urged us all to bring our individual artistry, informed by science, to their work. Nancy is collaborative, by nature, so that appeals to her.

Starting in the late 1970’s, Nancy’s work has been about couples and romantic love: how people do love… not just how they “should” love. She videotaped all her clients doing everything all through the 1980s and she took copious notes on dating behaviors. She studied most of the models around, and then Nancy stumbled on the Gottman work in the late 1990s, she was in love with it immediately! It wasn’t armchair philosophy… It was/is, at its core, an empirically-based study of how people actually do love… how they do it gracefully and how they do it awkwardly.

Nancy has been a full-time clinician for over thirty years, twenty of which she also taught at Chapman University part-time, and she is a CAMFT Certified Supervisor for MFT Interns. She loves teaching, mentoring, and collaborating on case consultations. Nancy has taught Gottman Levels 1, 2, and 3 trainings in the past and puts on the Art & Science of Love Couple’s Workshop several times a year, all in Southern California.

Nancy is available for individual consultation and open to group consultation inquiries. You can contact Nancy directly through her Gottman Referral Network profile here.

Mike became a Certified Gottman Relationship Therapist in 2005. Since that time, he has led all 3 levels of Gottman trainings at The University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration’s Professional Development Program. He has also presented Chicago area Gottman Art and Science of Love Workshops, at least twice per year, since 2007. Mike founded The Chicago Relationship Center in 2014, which offers Gottman trainings and workshops, and has produced workshops led by Dan Wile, PhD.

Mike has taught at the doctorate level for over a decade. He was an affiliate professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and is currently a visiting instructor at The Institute for Clinical Social Work. He has taught couple therapy, psychopathology, international intervention, and trauma and attachment disorders. His other areas of clinical expertise include the emotional aspects of attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities.

Mike’s international training efforts have focused on Sri Lanka. Since the tsunami of 2004, he has traveled to Sri Lanka twice per year (21 times to date) to teach Sinhalese and Tamil lay counselors courses on basic counseling skills. He received Fulbright Specialist grants for his work in 2010, 2014, and 2015. He was one of the first Gottman therapists to lead Gottman trainings in a foreign country, and made presentations on his international training efforts at Gottman Conferences.

In additional, Mike has made presentations on The Gottman Method in the Chicago area at the Northshore University Health System’s Grand rounds, The Center on Halsted, and Illinois Psychological Association’s annual conference,  and other area hospitals and agencies.

His publications include “Dyslexia and the Life Course”, a feature article summarizing his research in the Journal of Learning Disabilities.

His teaching style is very collaborative. He hopes to help participants master the Gottman Method in a relaxed atmosphere, where they feel comfortable discussing concepts and sharing case examples.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Mike has over twenty years of experience as a clinical consultant. He enjoys working with Consultees who work with challenging situations. He approaches clinical work with a realistic and thoughtful perspective, hoping to connect with clients and couples in an empathetic and sensitive manner. Mike attempts to help his Consultees achieve these same goals, using the Gottman Method. In addition, Mike helps Consultees identify and pursue goals for professional growth and development. He particularly enjoys trying to blend or integrate the Gottman Method with other theories, such as psychoanalytic approaches and Emotion Focused Therapy.

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

Michael Rediger, LICSW is a Certified Gottman Therapist and a Certified Gottman Workshop Leader. Since 2003, he has been a roving therapist at The Art and Science of Love workshops with Drs. John and Julie Gottman. He assisted for many years as a roving therapist at The Art and Science of Love 2 workshops and has been co-leading the workshop since 2014. A presenter of numerous lectures in the community about the research of Drs. John and Julie Gottman, Michael has been a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker since 1997. He has a private practice in downtown Seattle where he works with individuals and couples.

As a clinician, Mary Beth’s passion is to aid couples in healing their relationships and spreading the Gottman message. She offers four modalities of Gottman Method™ Couples Therapy:  Couples counseling, marathon therapy, The Art & Science of Love Weekend Workshops and premarital counseling.  She has an interest in working with clients with LGBT concerns, Emotion Coaching skills for parents, women’s issues and couples affected by affairs. She also trains mental health clinicians in Levels 1, 2 and 3 of the Gottman Method, and serves as a consultant for therapists pursuing certification.

In both her career as a dietitian and therapist, Mary Beth has written and contributed to numerous articles in both professional and lay publications. She has been a featured speaker at local, state and national events. Media appearances include YouTube videos, local television news interviews, continuing education videos, and a segment on Prime Time Texas. Mary Beth’s has an engaging speaking style that infuses humor, warmth and personal stories.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Mary Beth is passionate about the Gottman Method and has built a successful therapy practice around it. She loves seeing couples heal their relationships through counseling and marathon therapy, as well as The Art & Science of Love workshops, which she teaches four times per year. Mary Beth stays busy by conducting Gottman Trainer workshops at all levels, as well as working on an Emotion Coaching project for TGI. To stay connected to the Gottman community she roves at The Art & Science of Love workshops in Seattle, and has built a strong network of colleagues and friends. In short, Mary Beth believes in the Gottman Method and loves what she does.

In addition to being a Licensed Professional Counselor, Mary Beth has worked for many years as a dietitian, often blending her two specialty areas. Her background is varied with clinical experiences in both inpatient and outpatient settings, teaching at Texas A & M University and managing a graduate level internship program, and working with unique populations including domestic violence and LGBT. Mary Beth’s style in working with clients and students alike is straightforward, collaborative and compassionate. She has not forgotten what it is like to be a consultee struggling to get videotapes, so she can offer plenty of empathy, advice and humor to keep that process going smoothly.

Mary Beth is happily married with a teenage son, retired racing greyhound, and the sweetest Australian Shepherd on the planet. She is a nature junkie and loves to hike, run, garden, eat healthfully and travel to scenic destinations.

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

She has a full-time private practice and primarily works with couples using the Gottman Method, as well as elements of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, and Dan Wile’s Collaborative Couples Therapy. In addition to her work as a Gottman Method Couples Therapist and trainer and consultant of the Gottman Method, Marcia has presented The Art and Science of Love workshop, with her colleague Michael Basta, three times per year since 2008. Also, as a Level 3 Trainer, she has been teaching Gottman Method Couples Therapy in California and in Latin America.

Marcia has pioneered Gottman Method Couples Therapy in Latin America. She and her husband have translated many of the Gottman training materials into Spanish. She has appeared for an interview on a local TV station in Sonoma County, and has participated in the weekly radio program, Healthy Couples, Healthy Families, on the local Santa Rosa National Public Radio in Spanish.

She has offered conferences on the Gottman Method, parenting, communications skills, and conflict management skills to families, couples, and professionals in California, Mexico, Guatemala, and Chile.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Marcia’s goal as a consultant is to make Certification Candidates feel comfortable, safe and encouraged in the certification learning experience. She enjoys and benefits professionally from giving Candidates feedback on their video cases. Although supervision through videotaping can be very challenging for clinicians, Marcia believes it is the most effective and accurate method to assess therapeutic skills and provide feedback to clinicians. She is always open to receive feedback from Consultees to make consultation an effective tool to achieve certification in a timely manner. Marcia offers consultation in both Spanish and English.

“In the certification process it was essential to have the advice and guidance of Marcia Gomez. She is a very good teacher and I have become a better therapist because of her. In addition, I want to highlight her generosity and human quality.”

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

Jonathan is also currently pursuing certification as an Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist, having completed an externship in EFT with Dr. Sue Johnson and the four EFT Core Skills workshops. Jonathan’s specialty in the field of couples therapy has led to several national speaking engagements, including a presentation for US Navy Seal Team Five, as well as a workshop at the national convention of the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy. Jonathan created and has led several Couples Odyssey workshops for combat trauma survivors and their spouses on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project. Prior to becoming a therapist Jonathan was an army officer in Germany, serving as a platoon leader of combat medics in a forward-deployed tank battalion, followed by service as the company commander of the 130th Station Hospital in Heidelberg during Operation Desert Storm.

As a presenter, Jonathan has an engaging, personable, and respectful style and enjoys using story and metaphor to help audiences easily comprehend the material and to motivate listeners to apply what they learn. As a clinician, Jonathan has a passion for helping distressed couples, abuse and trauma survivors, post-divorce families and stepfamilies, servicemembers and veterans, and couples recovering from betrayals of trust. He enjoys leading one-on-one couples intensives (typically several days in a private retreat with one couple) as well as more traditional weekly therapy. Jonathan is dedicated to integrating Gottman method with Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and applying these research-based models to help couples and families not merely heal their relationships, but to create relationships that are healing.

Key essential components of Gottman Method Therapy are to facilitate mutual acceptance, support emotional regulation, set meaningful goals, and work together confidently in relationships. John’s clinical philosophy is to develop understanding of the context of problems and to approach every challenge non-judgmentally.

Working with other professionals using Gottman Method Therapy nurtures strong collegial relationships through training and consulting. John has consistently encountered sensitivity, support and acceptance in his experience with The Gottman Institute. His commitment is to share the same warm empathy with colleagues expanding their own clinical proficiencies in Gottman Method Therapy.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates – Reach Out For a Discussion*

During more than 30 years in private practice and on faculty at Oregon Health & Science University, John has become very familiar with the problems faced by couples involved in health care, biomedical research, engineering and teaching. His background in clinical psychology is grounded in research-based clinical practice best defined by term “third-wave” of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which emphasizes the understanding the context of problems and approaching them nonjudgmentally. This is also essential in Gottman Method Couples Therapy to help couples with emotional regulation, meaningful goal setting and developing confidence in working together when stuck or surprised by relationship difficulties. It has been a great joy for John to find rich opportunities to integrate this approach with other models of therapeutic change guided by a gentle and humanistic touch.

What has been most gratifying to John about working with colleagues using Gottman Method Couples Therapy is developing relationships with likeminded clinicians committed not only to the well-being of their clientele, but also to nurturing supportive relationships with each other as professionals. This sense of community has deepened since he began taking workshops at the Gottman Institute and became certified in 2008 to offer couples therapy, and soon after that to offer Art and Science of Love workshops and Seven Principles workshops. John has found the principles and applications of Sound Relationship House theory to be robust and flexible. Also, during his training experiences through The Gottman Institute, he has consistently encountered sensitivity, safety and acceptance in the experience of developing not only specific professional skills, but also in growing as a clinician. John’s commitment is to model and share these same kinds experiences from an interdisciplinary perspective with others undertaking the rewarding challenges of attaining and expanding proficiency in Gottman Method Couples Therapy.

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

Dr. White is also a Couples Workshop Leader and offers The Art and Science of Love and The Seven Principles Workshop to couples. He has served on faculty in numerous Marriage and Family Therapy training programs and has served as a Site Visitor for COAMFTE. He is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor and an LMFT Supervisor in Texas and New York.

Dr. White values being a part of The Gottman Institute because it continues to help him grow and deepen his clinical practice, as well as connecting him to an international network of therapists who implement the Gottman Method in a variety of contexts with a diverse set of couples. He also has the privilege of serving as a consultant to clinicians pursuing certification with The Gottman Institute. Consultation is a collaborative process that seeks to help you become proficient in utilizing Gottman Method interventions.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Jeff is a marriage and family therapist and pastoral counselor with more than 15 years’ experience helping couples create connection and deepen their friendship. Since 2004, the Gottman Method has been a foundational part of his approach with couples. Recently, Jeff has explored ways to integrate the Gottman Method into couples’ spirituality, as well as points of connection between the Gottman Method and emotion-based approaches.

In addition to being a Certified Gottman Therapist, he is also active in presenting the Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 workshops and has delivered these trainings in multiple locations across the US and in Asia. Jeff is also a Couples Workshop Leader and offer The Art and Science of Love and The Seven Principles Workshop workshop to couples. He has served on the faculty in numerous Marriage and Family Therapy training programs. Currently, Jeff is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor and an LMFT supervisor in Texas and New York.

Being part of the Gottman Institute continues to help Jeff grow and deepen his clinical practice, as well as keeping him connected to an international network of therapists who implement the Gottman method in a variety of contexts with a diverse set of couples. Jeff also has the privilege of serving as a consultant to clinicians pursuing certification with The Gottman Institute.

Consultation is a collaborative process that seeks to help you become proficient in utilizing Gottman Method interventions. He believes it is vital that you effectively integrate the interventions into your own therapeutic style so that the Gottman Method is always delivered with authenticity. The consultation process utilizes case presentations and videotape review as the most effective ways to provide helpful feedback to support your growth in the Gottman Method.

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

In addition to being the Clinical Director at The Gottman Institute, Dr. Cole is also a Level 3 Trainer. He offers all levels of training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy for therapists throughout the United States. He also serves as a consultant for therapists completing their final training in Gottman Method.

Dr. Cole has authored a number of workshops including: The Unique Challenges of Second Marriages, Ethics in Couples Therapy, Domestic Violence and Law Enforcement and Living as God’s Family: Relationship Enhancement for Congregations and has presented to a wide range of audiences including, The American Association of Pastoral Counselors and the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology. As an ordained Lutheran Pastor and Native American, Dr. Cole has served on the Board of Directors of the Oaks Indian Center where he helped design programs for staff training and family restoration. As approved presenters for The Gottman Institute, the Coles present The Art and Science of Love Workshop to couples three times a year.

Highly experienced as a speaker, Dr. Cole is known for his humor and down to earth approach. People find his conversational, energetic style engaging and easy to follow. He has appeared as a guest on U.S. local and national television programs. He has appeared in numerous publications on behalf of the Gottman Institute including: Cosmopolitan, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health and Reader’s Digest. Most recently he co-authored 3 articles for the Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy with Dr. John Gottman and Carrie Cole.

Bringing help to couples has been a long standing goal for Don’s work, but until he learned and began to use the Gottman Method he found himself frustrated more often than not. The research based theory and techniques give me a sense of confidence even when dealing with highly conflicted or emotionally distant couples. Don has also been personally enriched by his ongoing participation with The Gottman Institute. He is a frequent rover at Art & Science of Love workshops in Seattle and also presents that workshop to couples in Texas.

Don is a Trainer in the Gottman Method and has had the privilege of helping other therapists learn the theories and techniques from which he has benefitted so much. Don’s experience with his consultant was warm, accepting and challenging and was an essential part of his being truly able to integrate and use the Gottman Method. As a consultant Don seeks to bring that same helpful approach to others.

“Thank you deeply to my consultant, Don Cole, for all the guidance, patience, and especially the way he corrected me without knocking me down.”

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

Dr. Carrie Cole trains other therapists in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy by conducting Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 trainings yearly. She is also a consultant for the certification program. She has led The Art and Science of Love weekend workshop for couples multiple times a year in Houston since 2008. Carrie was a presenter at the 2008 Gottman Annual Conference, the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2012, and appeared as a guest on the Debra Duncan Show in Houston, TX. In addition to leading workshops and training other therapists, Carrie has co-authored a number of workshops including: The Unique Challenges of Second Marriages, Ethics in Couples Therapy and Living as God’s Family: Relationship Enhancement for Congregations. She has been interviewed and quoted in several newspapers and magazines including The Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Real Simple, Women’s Health, Woman’s World, Verily Magazine, Catster Magazine and ME Magazine.

As a public speaker Carrie is warmly dynamic and provides an engaging experience for her audience. The information that she presents is practical and helpful for a variety of audiences. Her primary goal is always to leave her audience with a sense of hope and optimism about the most important thing in life, which is having positive relationships with others. Through her presentations, Carrie frequently demonstrates humanism by having the courage to demonstrate how she has worked through her own conflicts in her relationships with others. For more information, explore her website.

*Not Accepting Certification Candidates*

Dr. Carrie Cole has been drawn to John Gottman’s research since graduate school, as her greatest joy is working with couples. Carrie and her husband opened the Center for Relationship Wellness in 2006 with the intention of specializing in couple relationships using Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Her own consultation process was very helpful in her development and confidence. The interventions are powerful and helpful to couples, and they provide guidance and clarity for the therapist. Carrie’s goal is to help Consultees gain confidence in the use of Gottman Method Couples Therapy in a safe, supportive, collaborative environment.

Carrie has been a supervisor in the State of Texas for over 10 years and loves helping colleagues develop and achieve their professional dreams. I believe in giving feedback in a thoughtful, empathic, and relational way. In addition to being a consultant for The Gottman Institute, she is an approved Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 Trainer, and an Art & Science of Love Workshop Leader. Carrie also does Marathon therapy with couples.

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 was 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.”

Alysha graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Women’s Studies and earned a Masters of Social Work from the University of Utah. Alysha began her career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Her experience in the human service field spans twenty plus years and includes directing a homeless shelter in the Washington DC area and working with domestic violence and sexual assault survivors in various settings. A successful private practice in Salt Lake City, Utah set the stage for her current work. After moving to Texas she worked at Family Time Crisis and Counseling Center and became a Social Work Supervisor for students and interns. In 2007, she co-founded what is now known as Couples Counseling and Psychotherapy Associates, a thriving practice that serves Kingwood, Texas and surrounding communities.

Alysha is passionate about helping couples heal from betrayals, enhance their friendships, manage conflict, and create shared meaning in their lives. She has been drawn to John Gottman’s work since the early days of her practice. It was a dream realized to become a Certified Gottman Therapist. She offers four modalities of Gottman Method™ Couples Therapy: Couples counseling, Marathon therapy, the Art & Science of Love Weekend Workshops, and Premarital counseling. Since becoming certified, she has advanced further to become a Level 3 Trainer, now offering all levels of Gottman Method Couples Therapy training to clinicians and provides consultation for therapists working toward certification.

The teaching and public speaking opportunities offered to her through her workshops, training, and consultation have provided her great satisfaction. She is passionate about helping others have the tools they need to have deeply satisfying relationships. She is dynamic and warm in her presentation, providing real-life examples so others know they can apply the skills to their lives as well.

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Alysha entered the human service field in the early 1990s. As she entered private practice, Alysha was quickly introduced to the Gottman Method in her search for a means to better serve clients struggling in their relationships. Becoming certified has helped her build skills essential to aiding couples heal from years of hurt and betrayal. To Alysha, enabling more therapists to be trained in the Gottman Method is vital.

Alysha feels driven to do as much as she possibly can in order to help couples as well as therapists seeking to help couples. She is an Art & Science of Love Couples Weekend Workshop presenter and a Level 1, 2 and 3 Trainer. She also provides marathon therapy. Alysha and her colleague, Mary Beth George, have built a practice dedicated to training clinicians and treating couples. She is grateful to be a part of a community of therapists that are devoted to helping couples and she appreciates being able to stay connected with the Gottman Institute and other Certified Gottman Therapists by regularly roving at the Seattle Art & Science of Love Couples Weekend Workshops.

Her advice in getting certified: Jump into the material! Alysha was certified quickly because she immersed myself into the Gottman Method. As a Social Work supervisor, she enjoys helping professionals hone their skills. She would love to help you get certified so you can be a part of this enthusiastic community of therapists, grow your practice confidently and truly help couples heal.

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