A research-based training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, led by Certified Gottman Trainer David Lechnyr, LCSW.
David Lechnyr, LCSW, is a Certified Gottman Therapist and Certified Gottman Trainer, authorized by The Gottman Institute to teach Level 1: Bridging the Couple Chasm to professional audiences. Training is offered on-site, live online, or by arrangement for a group practice, clinic, or agency training its clinical team together.
What Level 1 Covers
Level 1: Bridging the Couple Chasm is built on Dr. John and Dr. Julie Gottman’s four decades of research with more than 3,000 couples, one of the largest longitudinal studies on marital stability and divorce prediction ever conducted. The workshop is organized around the Sound Relationship House model and gives clinicians a research-based structure for assessment and intervention.
Participants work through the distinction between the “Masters” and “Disasters” of relationships identified in the Gottmans’ research, learn structured, validated methods for assessing a couple’s conflict patterns, friendship system, and shared meaning, and view case footage, including original Love Lab research video and clinical demonstrations led by Dr. Julie Gottman.
What You’ll Learn
- How to predict relationship stability using Gottman’s research-based assessment framework
- The seven levels of the Sound Relationship House theory
- How to conduct a structured couple’s assessment, drawing on the couple’s narrative, the Oral History Interview, and observed conflict
- Interventions to strengthen conflict management, deepen a couple’s friendship system, and build shared meaning
- Why physiological self-soothing matters for a healthy relationship, and how to teach it
- How to build a therapeutic contract with a couple around clear goals
What’s Included
- Official Gottman Level 1 manual for each participant
- Case footage from Gottman Institute research and clinical demonstration videos
- Certificate of Completion issued by The Gottman Institute
- Eligible for up to 12 hours of continuing education credit available (additional purchase)
- Ability to continue on to Gottman Level 2: Assessment, Intervention & Co-Morbidities training
Level 1 can be delivered in person at your location or live online, and scheduled as two consecutive days, two non-consecutive days, four half-days, or a multi-week classroom series, whatever fits your calendar.
About Your Trainer
Certified Gottman Therapist (#436) and Certified Gottman Trainer
David 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.
Who This Training is For
- Licensed mental health providers and clinicians building couples therapy skills
- Group practices, clinics, and agencies training their clinical team together
- Allied professionals and clergy
- Students and interns
- Family clinic and EAP staff
- Professors and researchers in couples and family studies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gottman Level 1 training?
Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1: Bridging the Couple Chasm is The Gottman Institute’s foundational clinical training for couples therapy, based on the Gottmans’ research into what separates stable relationships from those headed toward divorce.
Is this the same curriculum offered at other Gottman Level 1 workshops?
Yes. The content, learning objectives, and certification process are consistent across Certified Gottman Trainers, regardless of who presents the workshop.
Is continuing education credit available?
Yes. Level 1 is eligible for up to 12 CE hours through an approved continuing education provider, at an additional cost to the participant.
Who is eligible to attend?
Licensed mental health providers, allied professionals, clergy, students and interns, family clinic and EAP staff, and professors or researchers in couples and family studies. There are no prerequisites.
Can a group practice or agency ask David to train its whole team at once?
Yes. Level 1 can be arranged for a single group practice, clinic, or agency, so a clinical team completes the training together rather than attending separate workshops individually.
When is the next training being offered?
Trainings will be listed above when scheduled. David generally offers a few trainings each year, depending on demand and attendee inquiries. For those wishing to express interest on behalf of a clinic or agency, call 541-705-4666.