Gottman Method Couples Therapy History & Research

Gottman Model for Couples Therapy-Evidence Based Model Derived from Empirical Studies

Beginning in the 1970s Dr. John Gottman began observing couples in a “love lab” setting. Over the decades he and his therapist wife, Dr. Julie Gottman discovered through their research and experience with couple’s therapy that they could predict whether a couple would get divorced with 94% accuracy. They identified what made some couples highly successful and called them “master couples.” They proceeded to create activities and interventions that are built upon the Sound Relationship House metaphor to help teach these skills to couples whose relationships were struggling. Over the years the Gottman’s wrote numerous books and created professional programs and training to further promote the Gottman model for couples’ therapy. There is substantial research that has illustrated the effectiveness of this model (nih.gov) in helping couples gain greater understanding and communication and strengthen their relationships.