Caralee Hammer Frederic

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Caralee is a fully immersed Gottman Couples therapist and loves the emphasis on research from the beginning. She is a “show me the research” gal! As an LCSW, Caralee was first licensed in CA in 2002, then in CO in 2004. After working part time at an agency, she opened her private practice. In 2019, she expanded to a small group practice, where all of her fabulous clinicians use the Gottman Method as their primary methodology.

Caralee originally thought she would be working with children and adolescents, but soon learned that when the parents’ aren’t doing well, everything else was much harder. She searched for reliable, evidence based ways to work with parents/couples and found Dr. John Gottman in 2003, when she attended a Level 1 training with him. Caralee was hooked! Suddenly, couples work seemed doable and not so overwhelming! She used Level 1 for 6 years before taking Level 2 and then moved steadily towards being certified in 2013. Because Caralee had used the model for so many years, she finished certification in a relatively short time – less than a year. She always encourages people to use the tools, immerse yourself in the method, get familiar with it before entering the Certification Track, because of her own experience.

She had the opportunity to rove in Seattle a number of times, as the Gottman’s presented the “Art and Science of Love” couples workshop, and in 2014 Caralee was the first to bring it to CO, where she has presented it several times per year ever since. In 2017 she began training clinicians in the Gottman Method. She is a trainer for Levels 1, 2 and 3, which she loves doing – especially in person! In 2019, she took the trainings and the ASL to HI, as well.

Caralee has a sub-specialty working with couples in recovery for sexual compulsions/addictions/betrayals and is Certified in Partner Betrayal Trauma. She is a Certified Sex Addiction Recovery Therapist (SRT) through AASAT since 2014. Caralee is trained in EMDR and uses it frequently in her practice. She is also Certified in Discernment Counseling (2020) through the Dougherty Relationship Institute for “couples on the brink” of separation/divorce.

Caralee was nervous to start the Certification Track! As a verifiable “technophobe”, the idea of recording her sessions, editing, and sharing them was intimidating in itself, not to mention having someone else critique her work. However, she had a great experience, with a lot of support and encouragement, as well as clear guidelines on what to focus on to successfully reach certification. Caralee’s years as part of The Gottman Institute community has reinforced the supportive, encouraging experience she had with her consultant. Caralee’s hope is to offer an equally supportive, encouraging, and helpful experience to those with whom she consults, and continue to pass on the spirit of The Gottman Institute, from which she has so greatly benefited.

Caralee is available for individual and group consultation. She also hosts pre-Certification Track group consultation sessions. Contact Caralee directly to learn more about her consultation pricing.