Speaker Specialization: Conflict

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Debra is a clinical psychologist with expertise in Jungian psychotherapy, polyvagal theory, and positive psychology. These are the theoretical lenses through which she applies the Sound Relationship House and Gottman interventions. C.G. Jung’s depth work informs “why we want to love and be loved.” Polyvagal theory explains the physiological mechanisms through which our bodies signal when “love is good or bad.” Positive psychology research validates the Gottman 5:1 positivity ratio as necessary for “bringing love back from the brink of hopelessness.” All three theories highlight how the relationship is a “container” devised to incubate mature, transcendent human beings. The Gottman Method shows how to harness this transcendence intentionally.

You can contact Debra 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.

*NOT Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Dr. Faith Drew is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Arizona, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and LPC Supervisor in Texas and has been providing individual and couples therapy nearly 20 years. She earned her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Abilene Christian University and her Doctoral degree from Texas Tech University.

She is the former EAP Director of a private Employee Assistance Program where she managed clinical operations, led a team of clinicians and support staff, and consulted on critical incident responses.
She spent time in academia, helping to create a Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s Program and earn the COAMFTE Accreditation designation. In addition, she helped establish the on-site training clinic, which provided therapy at a reduced cost for the community.

Currently, she co-owns two private practices with offices in North Carolina and Arizona with her husband, and fellow Certified Gottman Therapist, Dr. George Bitar, LMFT. In addition to running operations and managing a team for both Connect Couples Therapy, PLLC, specializing in couples therapy, and In Session Psychotherapy, PLLC, specializing in working with individuals using EMDR, she co-presents The Art & Science of Love Weekend Workshop for Couples with her husband and offers couples intensives at her office in Arizona.

She believes in promoting and modeling vulnerability and growth and uses an evidence-based method to improve clinical skills called Deliberate Practice. She values the use of recorded sessions and regularly watches sessions and reviews performance skills – the best musicians, artists, Olympians, and athletes must watch their performance and practice before their main event. She believes as clinicians, we should too.

She has been married for 19-years and is a mom to a 5-year-year old daughter and 10-year-old Westie. She loves traveling, is a foodie-at-heart, can speak Spanish and is learning French.

You can contact Faith directly to learn about her consultation pricing and more through her 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.

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.

An associate with the Gottman Institute since 1997, Mirabai is a Master Certified Gottman Therapist, and a Certified Gottman Workshop Leader and Speaker. After staffing many Art and Science of Love workshops with Drs. John and Julie Gottman, as well as presenting the workshop in California on many occasions, she and colleague Andy Greendorfer responded to requests to present a second level of the Art and Science of Love workshop. Mirabai and Andy then created the original “refresher” workshop, writing and preparing the workshop outline and manual with the Gottmans’ oversight and encouragement. Formerly called Deepening The Gottman Method, this workshop has been presented since 2004.

In addition, Mirabai co-authored a book chapter in The Handbook of Conflict Resolution, and is the author of a chapter in The Marriage Clinic. A Certified Mental Health Counselor since 1979, she is in private practice in Bellingham, WA. She works with individuals, couples and families to bring understanding, awareness, and skills and to foster their resilience to life’s stressors.

Lisa Lund, LMFT is a Certified Gottman Therapist, Workshop Leader and Trainer.   She and her team at A Couple’s Place offer the Gottman “Art and Science of Love: Weekend Workshop for Couples” four times a year in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Lisa also trains therapists who want to learn the Gottman Method of Couples Counseling. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in North Carolina and in California.  Lisa was trained directly by Drs. John and Julie Gottman and has been a psychotherapist for over 25 years.

To learn more about Lisa, visit here.

As a speaker and presenter he wants to help facilitate, and inspire other clinicians to blend the Gottman Method into their practice and realize the benefits of this wonderful modality. He has enjoyed presenting over 30 times in different Gottman trainings and workshops which include The Art and Science of Love Gottman Workshops as well as teaching Level 1, 2, and 3 Gottman Method to other clinicians, and delivering presentations at the Annual Gottman Conference, and ASL trainings. Along with his business partner, Darren Wilk, he has trained clinicians in Level 3 of the Gottman Method since 2012. His leadership roles and experience at The Gottman Institute includes being a Certified Gottman Therapist, Certified Gottman presenter for The Art and Science of Love, Level I, Level 2, and Level 3 Gottman Method Trainer, Gottman Consultant, and The Art and Science of Love Presenter Trainer.

“It is my goal to help clinicians worldwide gain confidence and skills with the Gottman Method as they become proficient with all the interventions and methods. In my trainings and presentations I create a positive, comfortable, and humour filled, environment which is conducive to learning. It is so gratifying to see clinicians, become excited about the Gottman Method and to know that I had a part in influencing that outcome and helping to grow the Gottman Community. I am so passionate about the Gottman Method that when I first learned about it, along with my business partner, we developed our entire practice, bestmarriages.ca around the Gottman Method.”

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Lawrence has been a Marriage and Family Therapist since 1991. After being introduced to the Gottman Method it has become a passion of his to use it with clients and to help other therapists integrate it into their practice. As a consultant Lawrence wants to help other therapists to blend the Sound Relationship House structure into their practice and realize the benefits of this wonderful modality. It is his goal to help Consultees gain confidence and skills with the Gottman Method as they become proficient with all the interventions. He tries to create a positive, comfortable, and humor filled, environment which is conducive to learning. Along with his business partner Darren Wilk, they have developed their entire practice, bestmarriages.ca around the Gottman Method.

Lawrence has enjoyed presenting several Art & Science of Love workshops as well as teaching Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 workshops to other clinicians.

He looks forward to collaboratively working with candidates as you have fun, learn, and grow together using the Gottman Method.

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

While serving as Director of Professional Development at the Gottman Institute, Laura co-developed The Gottman Seven Principles Program together with then Clinical Director, Dr. David Penner, and authored The Seven Principles Companion Workbook. She continues as a Trainer for the program which has trained thousands of people to offer the Seven Principles Program in their communities, across six continents.

Laura is a charismatic and energetic speaker who’s love of life shines through her quirky and quick-witted presentations. Her transparency and authenticity is evident through her use of storytelling and examples of her own struggles in relationship with others. Laura is able to connect with audiences large and small, whether speaking to intimate groups or an audience of 900. Laura lives with her beloved and patient husband and their young son. She is honored to share the power of the Gottmans’ research with audiences around the world.

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.

*Not Currently Accepting Speaking Engagements*

In his role as the Clinical Director, Dr. Penner managed clinical aspects of the Institute, including providing consultation to Certified Gottman Therapists and clinicians in training; selecting and training consultants for clinicians pursuing certification; training and supervising video reviewers who certify therapists in the Gottman Method; training and supervising roving therapists at couples workshops; overseeing quality control of new programs and products; and answering clinical questions from clinicians, researchers, the media, and the public.

Dave has practiced for over 35 years as an individual and couples therapist working in private practice, university, mental health and hospital settings.