SmagalskiK5101-W10A1

docx

School

Northcentral University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

5101

Subject

Communications

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by BaronEmuPerson787

Assignment: Model Effective Scholarly Writing Karina Smagalski Northcentral University MFT 5101: Foundations for Graduate Study in MFT Rachel Williams November 25th, 2022

Marriage or whomever we choose to spend the rest of our lives with impacts us profoundly. Often our relationship with a life partner is an essential component of one’s perceived success in life. Our closest relationships impact our health and well-being. When one of our most important relationships develops a pattern of conflict and strife, it can negatively impact our well-being. There are many modes of modality for effective therapeutic treatment for couples. A widely known and researched method is the Gottman method. What makes this couples therapy method so effective? This paper will focus on the brief history and various components and theories, such as the Sound House Relationship Theory, this method's similarities with other therapies, and its effectiveness in treating couples, including those with a history of abuse. John Gottman states on his website ( https://www.gottman.com/) that he can predict divorce with 90% accuracy. While this claim has been debated, The Gottman method is “ a science-based model designed to reduce the probability of divorce.” (Mead, 2013, p.149) Mead states (2013) that over 14 years of research covering 3,000 couples, Julie and John Gottman developed this theory for marriage and couples therapy. When Julie and John Gottman developed their Love Lab, the Gottman Method was born. The Gottman method occurs in four stages…. “ (1) assessment of the couple’s emotional connection and conflict, (2) enhancement of the couple’s friendship, (3) improvement of the couples’ conflict management, and (4) reinforcement of the advancements that have taken place .... When applied to distressed couples, this therapeutic process is geared to be completed in an average of 15–20 sessions.” (David, 2015, p. 340). A detailed explanation of these stages is in the Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, written by John and Julie Gottman (2018).

Out of their research in the 1980s and 1990s from the Love Lab, the Gottman’s developed a critical theory The Sound Relationship House Theory. This theory is represented by seven layers built on top of each other. The first three layers are the most important: love maps, sharing fondness, admiration, and turning towards instead of away ( Gottman & Gottman, 2018). The Gottman method focuses on building friendship between couples. Love maps are all about knowing and remembering aspects of your partner's inner world, including their sexual world. This is done via Oral Interview History scales. In his book, The Seven Principals for Making a Marriage Work John Gottman (2015) states that love maps are a gift ; “ There are few greater gifts a couple can give each other than the joy that comes from being known and understood.” (pg. 55) If we deeply know our partner we can weather conflict and life stressors more easily. The second most important layer is sharing fondness and admiration for one’s partner. This layer is based on developing a pattern of cherishing our partner and pointing out what they are doing right, as well as creating habits of positive thinking in relation to our partner. The third important layer of the Sound Relationship Theory is turning toward our partner instead of away. In this layer, Julie and John Gottman (2018) focus on bids for connection in a relationship and how the other partner responds to those bids. In their love lab where they followed couples for 6 years they found that couples who did not divorce turned toward their partners bids for connection 86% percent of the time verse the divorced couples who only turned 33% of the time (HGM, 2020). The other four layers to this theory are, the positive perspective, managing conflict, making life dreams come true,, and creating shared meaning ( Gottman & Gottman, 2018).

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

As stated above, our most profound personal relationship is often the person we choose to marry and spend the rest of our lives with. Everyone brings history to their relationships, and when that history has trauma, such as child abuse and neglect, that can negatively influence our most important relationship. Adults with a history of childhood abuse in the United States have staggering health issues and relationship problems. These health concerns include heart disease, obesity, cancer, and other chronic illnesses ( Tell et al., 2006). Personal health concerns aside, the relational impacts are just as staggering, including but not limited to “avoidance or fear of intimacy, being cold and critical, an inability to connect with others, feelings of isolation, loneliness, and communication problems….low emotional engagement between partners and a pattern of withdrawing from couple interaction during times of high emotions.” ( Tell et al., 2006, p.226) Through its Sound House Relationship Theory, the Gottman Method has shown to clearly identify adults' negative sentiment override or where you or your partner only see the negative aspects of our relationship even when there is evidence of it being positive. Tell (2006) found that adults with histories of abuse are more likely to have negative sentiment override, and with this knowledge, therapists “ can aid in conceptualizing treatment in couples therapy with adult survivors.” ( p.235). The Gottman method can be effective in identifying problems in adult survivors of abuse who are in relationships and, there may further implications for its effectiveness in other diverse populations of couples. The Gottman Method has been shown to be effective in the treatment of couples. In a study comparing emotion-focused couples therapy and the Gottman method, it was found that the “Gottman couple therapy method reduced marital burnout and changed conflict resolution styles” ( Havaasi et al., 2018, p .15 ). Some of the specific outcomes include “couples learned to renegotiate their obligations and responsibilities, to communicate with each other effectively, to

talk about the causes of disagreement and the importance of expressing their views about the best way to manage disagreements, and to actualize their suggested ideas.”( Havaasi et al., 2018, p .17 ). In a study conducted by Davoodvand et al.,(2018) also shows that “Gottman method can be used as an effective treatment to improve marital relationships, adjustment, and intimacy.”(p.137) The Gottman method has been shown to treat distressed couples. The Gottman method has also shown effectiveness across diverse couple populations of couples, such as the LGBT population. “In summary, although gay and lesbian couples have conflicts about many of the same issues as heterosexual couples, this study seems to show that Gottman Method Couples Therapy yields successful results in relationship satisfaction improvement for gay and lesbian couples in relatively few sessions” ( Garanzini et al., 2018, p.682). The Gottman method is not just for one type of couple but all people in relationships no matter who they love. One of the reasons the Gottman method is so effective is its similarities with other therapies. “Gottman (1999) method therapists use of the basic therapy skills such as empathic listening, reframing, and building goal consensus and collaboration. “ ( Mead, 2013, p.151). This approach is already using what has already proven effective which aids in positive relationship outcomes. The Gottman method also has underpinnings in various therapy methods because it is an integrated approach. “Gottman's approach (1977) is an integrated approach that has been used as a fundamental principle of various therapeutic theories, such as systems theory, existential point of view, and narrative therapy.” ( Davoodvand et al., 2018, p.137). Systems theory is a critical component of the effective treatment of people in therapy. The Gottman method uses many systems theory concepts including “interdependence of subsystems, wholism, circular causality, and context” ( Watzlawick et al., 1974, as cited in Veldorale-Griffin 2019, p.

167) . Context for example is an essential component of the Gottman method. The context of how couples manage conflict, and the history of each person in the couple, is integral to the Gottman Method done via extensive assessment done by the therapist. In conclusion, the Gottman Method has a history of being effective in treating diverse couples with not only who they love but are diverse in their personal histories. It is science- backed with clear theories that aid in couples staying together through building on friendship, trust, and communication. It is an integrated approach that uses key systems concepts to help couples manage distress and reduce the likelihood of divorce. A therapist trained in the Gottman method should have full confidence in its effectiveness in positive relationship outcomes.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

References Carr, A. (2020). The science of couples and family therapy. behind the scenes at the love lab – by J. M. gottman and J. S. gottman . Wiley Subscription Services, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12223 Babcock, J. C., Gottman, J. M., Ryan, K. D., & Gottman, J. S. (2013). A component analysis of a brief psychoeducational couples' workshop: One year followup results. Journal of Family Therapy, 35 (3), 252-280. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12017 David, P. (2015). Wedding the Gottman and Johnson Approaches into an Integrated Model of Couple Therapy. The Family Journal , 23 (4), 336–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480715601675 Davoodvandi, M., Navabi Nejad, S., & Farzad, V. (2018). Examining the Effectiveness of Gottman Couple Therapy on Improving Marital Adjustment and Couples’ Intimacy. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry , 13 (2), 136–141. Havaasi, N., Kaar, K. Z., & MohsenZadeh, F. (2018). Compare the efficacy of emotion focused couple therapy and Gottman couple therapy method in marital burnout and changing conflict resolution styles. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health , 20 (1), 15–25.

Garanzini, S., Yee, A., Gottman, J., Gottman, J., Cole, C., Preciado, M., & Jasculca, C. (2017). Results of gottman method couples therapy with gay and lesbian couples . Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12276 Ghochani, M., Safarian Toosi, M. R., & Khoynezhad, G. R. (2020). Investigation of the effectiveness of the combined couple therapy for couples on the improvement of intimacy and PTSD. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 49 (3), 299-320. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2020.1813657 Goldberg, R. M. (2017). The SAGE encyclopedia of marriage, family, and couples counseling 243-248. Gottman, J. M., Gottman, J. S., Cole, C., & Preciado, M. (2020). Gay, lesbian, and heterosexual couples about to begin couples therapy: An online relationship assessment of 40,681 couples. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 46 (2), 218-239. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12395 Gottman, J., Gottman, J. (2018). The natural principals of love. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 9, 7-26. Gottman, J. Sliver, N. (2015). The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work : A Practical Guide From the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert: Vol. [Second edition] . Harmony. Gottman Institute (Producer), & . (2013). Gottman Couples Therapy: PTSD. [Video/DVD] Milton H. Erickson Foundation. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/gottman- couples-therapy-ptsd

HMP, G. (Producer), & . (2020). Gottman Sound Relationship House Theory. [Video/DVD] Milton H. Erickson Foundation. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/gottman- sound-relationship-house-theory Holman, T. B., & Jarvis, M. O. (2003). Hostile, volatile, avoiding, and validating couple- conflict types: An investigation of gottman's couple-conflict types. Personal Relationships, 10 (2), 267-282. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00049 Kim, H. K., Capaldi, D. M., & Crosby, L. (2007). Generalizability of gottman and colleagues' affective process models of couples' relationship outcomes. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69 (1), 55-72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00343.x Lisitsa, E., Fraser, C., & Benson, K. (2022, November 2) . A research-based approach to relationships. The Gottman Institute. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.gottman.com/ Mead, E. (2013). Becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist : From Classroom to Consulting Room . Wiley-Blackwell. (pp.149-193). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118593820.ch7 Gottman, J., & Silver, N. (2015). The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work : A Practical Guide From the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert: Vol. [Second edition] . Harmony. Tell, S. J., Pavkov, T., Hecker, L., & Fontaine, K. L. (2006). Adult Survivors of Child Abuse: An Application of John Gottman's Sound Marital House Theory. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 28 (2), 225–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-006-9004-0

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

Yoo, H., (2019). The science of couples and family therapy: Behind the scenes at the love lab. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45 (1), 186-187. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.123

SmagalskiK5101-W10A1

Related Documents