David Lechnyr, LCSW

David Lechnyr, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Gottman Therapist (#436). The Gottman Institute has awarded the Certified Gottman Therapist credential to 621 clinicians worldwide; he is one of roughly a dozen listed on the Gottman Referral Network in each of Oregon and Arizona. He provides structured, skills-based couples therapy via telehealth in Oregon and Arizona, based in Portland, and relationship coaching worldwide, integrating the Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy (CBCT). He works with couples navigating recurring conflict, emotional disconnection, communication breakdown, and relationship ambivalence. He is the author of Personality Patterns in Couples Therapy, a framework for clinicians on recognizing relational patterns in couples work, and How to Screw Up Your Relationship in Ten Easy Steps, a field guide for couples on the patterns that quietly erode connection. New clients begin with an initial consultation.

Seven Principles vs. Sound Relationship House: Understanding Gottman’s Unified Framework

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Couple sitting together at a kitchen table reviewing materials with engaged curious expressions

If you’ve read John Gottman’s books or researched couples therapy, you’ve likely encountered both the Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work and the Sound Relationship House theory, and wondered whether they’re the same thing, different approaches, or one superseding the other. David Lechnyr, LCSW, a Certified Gottman Therapist in Oregon and Arizona, explains how these two frameworks relate to each other, which one applies to clinical practice versus self-help reading, and why understanding the distinction matters for couples doing the work.

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How CBT Enhances Gottman Method Couples Therapy

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CBT couples therapy session using Gottman Method with licensed therapist serving Oregon and Arizona virtually

Bottom Line: As one of the few Certified Gottman Therapists with Beck Institute CBT training serving Oregon and Arizona, I help couples break destructive communication cycles and rebuild connection. By combining Gottman’s research-backed methods with CBT’s practical tools, couples create lasting change in months, not years. Why CBT + Gottman Method Is More Effective Than … Read more

Where to Find a Therapist When Psychology Today Isn’t Working

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Psychology Today’s therapist directory is the most visited mental health provider search tool in the country, but it has significant limitations: outdated listings, providers who no longer accept new clients, and a filtering system that makes genuine specialists hard to find. If you have searched there and come up empty, or found therapists who never … Read more

Why Don’t Therapists Call Back? How to Get Mental Health Professionals to Respond

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If you have tried to contact a therapist and heard nothing back, you are not alone and it is not personal. The reasons therapists do not respond to inquiries are structural and predictable, and knowing them changes how you reach out. This video, by a licensed therapist who has also been on the receiving end of those inquiries, explains the most common reasons mental health professionals fail to respond and what approach actually produces a reply.

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