Dave is a very compassionate and empathetic therapist who has been able to work with me and my husband in very constructive and practical ways.”
– Client review

As one of only a handful of Certified Gottman Therapists in Oregon and Arizona, I bring a specialized approach to couples therapy that can effectively transform your relationship. Regardless of your location, whether you’re able to visit my office in person in Eugene or prefer the convenience of telehealth, my commitment remains the same: To provide you caring, exceptional therapy to help make a lasting positive impact on your relationship.

What, specifically, will we learn in couples therapy?

How to manage conflict (rather than eliminate it, which is unrealistic) in a healthy and effective way.
How to bring up difficult, “hot-button” topics without causing additional relationship hurt and pain.
How to improve your knowledge of each other’s inner psychological world, along with your partner’s actual worries, stresses, joys and dreams.
How to cultivate affection and respect within the relationship so that you feel well loved by each other.
How to respond to each other’s verbal and non-verbal expressions of need for attention or connection.

Core Treatment: The Sound Relationship House Model

The Sound Relationship House is a cornerstone of Gottman Method Couples Therapy, offering a research-based framework with nine key elements essential for a strong, fulfilling relationship. Incorporating these Gottman principles provides couples with a practical roadmap for relational success, making it an invaluable tool for anyone looking to improve their partnership.

Build Love Maps: Understanding each other’s world is crucial; we’ll focus on deepening your mutual knowledge for long-term relationship success.
Share Fondness and Admiration: This level is all about appreciating each other; we’ll help you cultivate gratitude and respect to enhance your emotional connection.
Turn Towards Instead of Away: We’ll teach you effective ways to respond to each other’s needs, reinforcing your emotional “bank account” and trust.
The Positive Perspective: Here, we help you maintain a positive outlook on your relationship, promoting a proactive approach to resolving conflicts and challenges.
Manage Conflict: Conflict is inevitable; our goal is to equip you with the skills to navigate disagreements constructively.
Make Life Dreams Come True: We’ll dive into your aspirations and values, setting the stage for mutual support in achieving your dreams.
Create Shared Meaning: We’ll explore rituals, roles, and goals to help you build a shared vision of your life together.
Rebuilding Trust: Trust is the backbone of any strong relationship; we’ll assess and build it through proven strategies and open conversations.
Strengthening Commitment: Last but not least, we’ll solidify your mutual commitment, ensuring both partners are invested in a shared future.

By engaging in therapy, you’ll journey through these nine vital areas, each designed to fortify your relationship and set it on the path to lasting happiness. We’ll use skill building as a part of this, with a special focus on:

Communication Skills Training: Active listening, mirroring, and validation exercises.
Problem-Solving Skills: Structured exercises to resolve solvable problems.

Maintenance and Termination

Review Progress: Re-evaluate the relationship metrics set during the feedback session.
Plan for Future Conflicts and Challenges: Develop an action plan to maintain progress.
Termination Session: Summary of treatment gains and any recommendations for future care.

Follow-up and Booster Sessions

Check-in Sessions: Periodic meetings post-termination to ensure sustained improvements

What should we do to prepare for couples therapy?

Arm yourself with some essential concepts. Specifically, these four short videos will help you more accurately describe what is, and is not, working in your relationship. This can be a significant game changer if you decide to work with a Gottman Therapist.

Finally, here is what I consider to be one of the best articles I’ve seen that clearly summarizes the Gottman Method, why it works and why it is essential when repairing relationships.

What are some of the pros and cons of using Gottman Therapy to improve our relationship?

“We’ve done research on the Gottman Method and find it intriguing and liked what you wrote on your website about your approach.”
– Client feedback

Gottman Method Couples Therapy is a well-established, research-based approach to couples therapy that has been shown to be effective in improving relationship satisfaction and reducing conflicts among couples.

The method was developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman, who have over 40 years of experience in studying couples and relationships. The Gottman Method emphasizes the importance of building a strong friendship, improving communication skills and managing conflicts in healthy ways.

One of the only cautions that I have about Gottman Method Couples Therapy is that it is built upon correlational-based evidence (instead of cause-and-effect). In short, correlation does not imply causation. Just because we see patterns in couples that report happy (or failed) relationships does not mean that these patterns cause these results.