The Sound Relationship House (SRH) model of enduring relationships is one of the core concepts in Gottman Method Couple Therapy (GMCT). The SRH is based on more than 40 years of research with thousands of couples – including same-gender couples. It serves as a guide for therapists and clients to identify opportunities for strengthening a relationship’s underlying friendship, managing conflict more effectively, and building a “culture of us” to guide the future. Flexible and strength-based, the SRH is a powerful tool for helping clients work toward the kind of relationship they want to have.
However, GMCT is often taught in a way that seems heteronormative, giving LGBTQ+ clinicians and clients the impression that their relationships would be stigmatized in therapy guided by the SRH. In fact, GMCT incorporates research about the unique strengths of same-gender couples, and is one of the few couples therapy approaches to publish research about its effectiveness with gay and lesbian relationships. At the same time, the model is built on the assumption that all relationships are monogamous dyads, and its training materials often treat gender in a binary, essentialist fashion that can feel unwelcoming to queer and trans clinicians.
In this workshop, Dr. Sheila Addison, LMFT, Certified Gottman Therapist and trainer will bridge the gap between GMCT and the SRH as commonly portrayed, and the concerns and needs of LGBTQ+ therapists and clients. She will discuss how Gottman therapy can be used effectively with queer and trans clients, and identify aspects of GMCT and the SRH that can benefit from being “queered” both for clients and therapists, in order to serve all clients and their relationships more effectively.
This webinar will provide 2 CEUs via AAMFT. Check your state licensing board to see if they accept AAMFT as a CEU provider for your license.
Learning Objectives:
After this presentation, attendees will be able to:
1. Describe the Sound Relationship House model as developed by The Gottman Institute based on its body of research on successful, happy relationships.
2. Identify aspects of Gottman training and materials for the lay public that may seem unwelcoming to LGBTQ+ clinicians and clients.
3. Describe ways of “queering” Gottman Method Couple Therapy in order to provide affirming and culturally-sensitive services to LGBTQ+ clients and other marginalized groups.
About the Presenter:
Sheila Addison, PhD, LMFT, has worked with the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities for more than 25 years as an affirming couple and family therapist informed by global feminism, anti-racism, queer and trans liberation, fat acceptance, and disability justice. She offers supervision and mentoring as an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and a Certified Deliberate Practice Coach and Supervisor. She is a Certified Gottman Therapist and an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist.
She is also Executive Director of Margin to Center Therapy, where she supports members of equity-deserving groups in earning licensure and launching private practices. She offers specialized trainings, including the Ally Skills Workshop and Deliberate Practice coaching, as Margin to Center Consulting. She lives in West Seattle with her partner and three cats: Koala T. Catt, City Supervisor Harvey Milk, and Sir Ian McKellen aka “Gogo.” Sometimes she gardens. Sometimes she writes things.