The Art & Science of Love   A Weekend Workshop for Couples

This two-day workshop will give you new insights into your relationships and research-based communication tools that can dramatically improve your relationship.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Research shows that on average, couples wait six years from the first signs of problems before they seek help. This workshop is designed to strengthen your marriage or relationship. If you have a strong relationship, this workshop will provide you with insights and tools to make it a great one. If your relationship is distressed, this two-day workshop will provide a road map for repair.

At the workshop, couples will learn how to:

  • Foster respect, affection, and closeness
  • Build and share a deeper connection with each other’s inner world
  • Keep conflict discussions calm
  • Break through and resolve conflict gridlock
  • Strengthen and maintain the successes in your relationship.

THE WORKSHOP PROGRAM

John Gottman, Ph.D., has learned what really makes marriages work by studying and following over 3,000 couples in 30+ years of research. John Gottman together with Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, the Clinical Director of both The Gottman Institute and The Gottman Relationship Clinic, have designed this workshop. As Gottman Certified Therapists, Drs. Wolfe and Hoffman will teach you how to foster romance and harmony in your relationship. During the first day, you will learn how to build fondness, admiration, and closeness in your relationship. On the second day, you’ll work on conflict management and learn new and important communication skills. In the workshop, there will be many humorous stories and role-plays by Gottman Certified Couples Workshop Leaders. Couples work privately on exercises designed to address the challenges in their real life relationship. Gottman therapists are available to support couples one-on-one with exercises. There is no group work or public disclosure. At the end of the workshop you will leave with a greater understanding of your relationship and the skills to repair or enhance it.

WORKSHOP TOPICS

1. The five basic questions:

  • How is your marriage/relationship doing?
  • What makes relationships change for better or for worse?
  • If your relationship is in trouble, how can you turn it around?
  • If your relationship is doing well, how can you ensure that it will continue to grow?
  • As your relationship improves, how can you make changes last?

2. Assessing your relationship

  • Learn to recognize the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and what to do if they are attacking your relationship
  • Identify your relationship’s specific strengths and how to build on these strengths
  • Learn about the effects of physiological flooding and how it may impede conflict resolution
  • Learn the small, easy steps that increase romance in your relationship

3. Building a Sound Relationship House

  • Learn how Love Maps provide a solid foundation for intimacy
  • Use the Fondness and Admiration System to renew respect and care for one another
  • Create an Emotional Bank Account that you can draw upon in times of stress
  • Develop your problem-solving skills, including the four techniques of effective conflict
    • resolution: Softened Start-up, Accepting Influence, Repair Work, and De-escalation.
  • Find out how you can make your dreams and aspirations come true for you, your partner, and your relationship.

EXCLUSIVE COUPLES' RETREATS

Offered in a private, country setting. Weekend dates arranged at times convenient to participating couples. Limited availability.

For more information, contact Joan Hoffman, Ph.D., at 410-876-1994 or email workshops@mastercouples.com .

Gottman Couples Workshop, mastercouplesworkshops.com