Gottman Method Couples Therapy in Los Angeles.
The Gottman Method is the most-validated couples therapy in the field — built on 40+ years of longitudinal research at the University of Washington. It's also the modality we anchor on for affair recovery (via Gottman Trust Revival).
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What the Gottman Method actually does in the room.
The Gottman Method begins with a structured assessment — both partners take an online questionnaire, then there's a couple session followed by individual sessions for each partner — so the therapist enters the work with real data about your relationship rather than three weeks of "tell me what's going on." That assessment shapes the rest of the work.
From there, the model uses a framework called the Sound Relationship House — seven layers of relational health, from the foundation of how well you know each other's inner world up through trust and shared meaning. Sessions move between layers based on where the relationship needs work, with concrete tools at each level.
For affair recovery, the same framework includes a specific protocol called Trust Revival — a three-phase structure (Atone, Attune, Attach) that we use anchored on couples coming out of infidelity. More on infidelity →
Four steps in early Gottman work.
Assessment
Online questionnaire (Gottman Connect platform). Both partners fill it out separately. We use the data in session two.
Joint + individual
One full couple session, then one individual session per partner. The therapist hears each of you privately, in addition to together.
Treatment plan
By session four, the therapist offers a written treatment plan based on the assessment — what they're hearing, what they recommend working on, and in what order.
Ongoing work
Weekly sessions move through the Sound Relationship House layers, with specific exercises and tools at each level.
What this method is especially good at.
- Communication breakdown — the four-horsemen framework (criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling) gives you both a shared language for what's happening.
- Affair recovery — Trust Revival is the gold-standard protocol.
- Couples who like data — the assessment-driven start fits people who want a clear picture before doing the work.
- Long-married couples in repair work — the seven-layer model is especially useful when there's history to map.
Often paired with this modality.
The first session is a fit conversation, not a commitment.
Reach out today.
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