As I write this, there are only 324 Certified Gottman Couples Therapists in the world!
So, I thought that I would fill you in on my rather long adventure of becoming a CGT. I started the Level One Home Study course in a Kansas coffee shop when my son was at strings camp (as in violin) during a cold January weekend. Gradually I proceeded and passed the Level One exam; I completed Level Two in a similar Home Study fashion. When a family member experienced health problems that delayed my completion, I asked for an extension…
I thought I might just stop when I passed the Level Two exam. However, in Level Two, the emphasis was on Gottman Interventions with couples and, well, I got hooked! So, I packed up my elderly parents, thinking they would enjoy a trip to Houston in the winter, and I proceeded to do the Level Three Practicum with Don and Carrie Cole in Texas. Unfortunately, there was an ice storm in Houston and we could barely leave the hotel – but the training was great!
During the Level 3 Practicum, we practiced intervention skills and talked about how they applied to real Clients. So fun and interesting! However, I thought “I’m probably just going to stop here and not continue on”. Yet, once I started using the Gottman approach exclusively with my couples, I was hooked! And I thought, if I am going to get my questions answered by a Gottman Consultant maybe I’d better just apply for the Certification track. Back to Houston I went with my son (by then high school aged - - when GQ magazine mentioned the Gottmans, he knew what they were talking about); This time it was summer of 2015 (so hot!) and I sat in for another Level Three training with the fabulous Coles to prepare.
I applied, and was accepted, for the GCT Certification track!
This process took letters of recommendation, PLUS 100 hours of documented Couples Therapy utilizing the Gottman Method. I also had to meet with my Gottman Consultant and demonstrate four benchmarks of Gottman Couples Therapy via video. This in addition to my part-time private practice. I also teach at a university and serve as a Training Director for a master’s program in Counseling Psychology. So, my time and attention have other demands. PLUS, I needed some wonderful couples to give me permission to videotape our sessions (which were securely and confidentially uploaded so my Consultant, and then an independent Reviewer, could rate my work).
Many thanks to my husband of 26 years who was my technical assistant and who wanted me to finish this process as much as I did! Again I needed an extension due to family illness, however, during the Fall of 2018 a gift arrived in the form of a couple who provided me with the material to pass my last benchmark!
I share all of this so you’ll know that I am truly committed to the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy.
It is the best thing I have seen in my 25ish years as a Psychologist; If you do the work, it will help!