Gottman Method Couples Therapy in Bucharest and Online
Psychotherapist & Founder ID THERAPY
couple relationship issues, phobias, anxiety, panic attacks
What is Gottman Method Couples Therapy?
- Managing conflict effectively
- Strengthening trust and intimacy
- Creating a shared life plan
What Problems Do Couples Face?
1. How They Manage Conflict
- Solvable problems
- Perpetual problems
- Perpetual gridlocked problems
- Work-related stress
- Extended family / in-laws
- Money
- Sex
- Household responsibilities
- A new baby
nstead of these healthy pillars, many couples come to therapy leaning on different supports that keep the marriage barely functioning, such as “the children and the mortgage.”
But children grow up, and loans are eventually paid off. After 15–20 years, partners may find themselves alone, emotionally disconnected, and disengaged under the same roof.
Gottman Couples Therapy – The Assessment Process
How Can Gottman Method Couples Therapy Be Approached?
These options allow couples to select the type of therapy that best fits their lifestyle and pace, while addressing common issues such as criticism, defensiveness, and contempt — frequent reasons why couples seek therapy.
- Duration: 50–60 minutes per session, once a week
- Best for: Couples who prefer gradual, step-by-step change
- Benefits: Reflection time between sessions, flexibility
- Duration: 4 consecutive days, 4 hours per day
- Best for: Couples in crisis or those seeking fast, transformative results
- Benefits: Intensive intervention with no interruptions
There are many ways to approach couples therapy sessions. In Gottman Method Couples Therapy, you can choose between two options:
- Weekly Gottman Couples Therapy
- Gottman Marathon Couples Therapy
These variations allow couples to choose the type of therapy that best fits their lifestyle and daily pace, addressing common issues such as criticism, defensiveness, and contempt, which are frequent reasons couples seek therapy.
Compared to other approaches, the Gottman Method offers a well-defined, research-based structure for improving couple relationships.
Before starting Gottman Couples Therapy sessions, we will go through a relationship assessment and diagnostic process.
We conduct a very thorough evaluation in order to gain a clear picture of the couple’s relationship, its strengths, and the issues that have led to the need for therapy.
The Gottman Assessment Process consists of 3 sessions totaling 5 hours. To this, we add the time needed to interpret and quantify the answers to the questionnaires that each partner completes individually.
Regardless of the format you choose, the first step is a detailed evaluation of the relationship, structured as follows:
- Session 1: Getting to know and understanding the history of the relationship
- Session 2: Individual meetings with each partner, understanding each member of the couple as an individual
- Session 3: Identifying strengths and the areas where change is desired
Before starting Gottman Method Couples Therapy sessions, we go through a relationship assessment and diagnostic process. We conduct a very thorough evaluation in order to gain a clear picture of the couple’s relationship: its strengths, as well as the issues that have led to the need for therapy.
The Gottman relationship assessment process consists of 3 sessions, totaling 5 hours.
In addition, time is needed to interpret and score the questionnaires that each partner completes individually.
The 3 sessions are structured as follows:
- Session 1: consists of two couples’ assessment meetings (120 minutes total) – with both partners present.
- Session 2::consists of two individual assessment meetings (50 minutes per session).
- Session 3:: a couples’ session for presenting the results and the therapeutic plan. At the end of this third session, the couple receives a Treatment Plan, and the Gottman Method couples therapy sessions can begin.
The first session consists of two couples’ assessment meetings attended by both partners. During this session, we offer each member of the couple the opportunity to openly share the reasons that brought them to therapy.
We review the history of the relationship together and examine the general ways in which the couple manages conflict, by discussing a current issue that is a source of disagreement.
At the end of the session, the couple will receive an online questionnaire assessing different aspects of their individual and relational life.
The duration of this session is 120 minutes.
The couples relationship assessment process continues with two individual evaluation sessions, each lasting 50 minutes.
This is an opportunity for the therapist to get to know each partner separately. It also helps the therapist understand the foundations of the couple’s relational dynamics and the ways in which each person’s past experiences influence their present relationship.
Speaking openly about oneself or about one’s partner is generally easier when only the therapist is present. However, in the Gottman Method, the core principle is that the therapist does not keep secrets from the other partner.
The total duration of these sessions is 100 minutes.
In the third session, the therapist openly shares the information gathered during the first two sessions, along with the results of the assessment completed by each partner.
At this stage, the concrete goals of the therapy are established, and a shared strategy for improving the couple’s relationship is developed.
At the end of the third session, the couple receives a “treatment plan”, and the Gottman couples therapy sessions can begin.
How Do Couples Therapy Sessions Take Place?
What Will You Learn During Gottman Method Couples Therapy Sessions?
1. How to get to know each other better
2. How to build and strengthen friendship and trust
3. How to recognize and respond to your partner’s bids for emotional connection
4. How to be open to influence
5. How to understand and work with both solvable and difficult problems
6. How to move past conflict gridlock
7. How to create your own special “relationship story”
8. How to maintain and protect your relationship over time
Psychotherapist & Founder ID THERAPY
Testimonials & Reviews for ID Therapy
Dr. John Gottman — known as the “Einstein of Love” — and his team revolutionized the science of relationships through a longitudinal study spanning over 40 years and involving more than 4,000 couples at different stages of life.
They interviewed:
- Couples before marriage
- Couples freshly returned from their honeymoon
- Couples after having children
- Couples who eventually divorced
- Couples who became grandparents
They measured interaction patterns and identified specific relational algorithms. These findings were later used to distinguish between couples who thrive and those whose relationships end in divorce.
ID Therapy is the only couples therapy clinic in Romania offering the renowned Gottman Method. This approach requires the active participation of both partners and a trained Gottman therapist who guides them through the complexities of their relationship.
Gottman Couples Therapy is particularly beneficial for:
- Couples who want to overcome turning points or crises in their relationship but don’t know how.
- Couples who have gone through a traumatic event and want to rebuild their marriage with the same partner.
- Couples who struggle to manage conflicts and end up in gridlock.
- Any couple who wants a long-term harmonious marriage built on mutual respect and trust.
There are two main formats available:
-
Weekly Gottman Couples Therapy
Encourages regular, dynamic sessions. Ideal for identifying problematic patterns and learning practical strategies to improve communication, intimacy, and overall relationship satisfaction.
-
Gottman Marathon Couples Therapy
Designed for couples seeking intensive and rapid progress. This immersive format typically takes place over 4–5 consecutive days, allowing for accelerated breakthroughs in a condensed timeframe.
Both formats allow couples to choose the approach that best fits their lifestyle and needs, addressing common issues such as criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling — the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Compared to other approaches, the Gottman Method offers a structured, research-based model for improving relationship dynamics.
Gottman Therapy offers a wide range of significant benefits for relationships facing challenges:
Improved Communication
The therapy focuses on developing effective communication methods, helping couples manage conflict with empathy, understanding, and respect.
Better Conflict Management
By identifying and addressing the Four Horsemen — Criticism, Defensiveness, Contempt, and Stonewalling — couples learn to navigate conflicts constructively and reduce dysfunctional behaviors.
Stronger Intimacy and Friendship
The Gottman Method places great emphasis on strengthening friendship and building admiration — essential foundations for a fulfilling and lasting relationship.
These benefits, supported by Dr. Gottman’s extensive scientific research, offer couples the tools needed to create a balanced, resilient, and happy relationship — no matter the challenges they face.
Overall Benefits of Couples Therapy
By understanding the relationship dynamics, the perspectives of each partner, and shared goals, the therapist develops a strategy and treatment plan.
Typical outcomes include:
- Better communication
- Increased emotional intimacy
- Enhanced problem-solving skills
- Prevention of conflict escalation
- Long-term strengthening of the relationship
The therapy phase includes a variety of exercises and structured activities designed to help couples learn the art of compromise, manage conflicts effectively, and maintain a positive perspective on their relationship.
These activities are crafted to highlight the importance of small but consistent daily changes that contribute to long-term relationship improvement.
This systematic and interactive approach used in Gottman Couples Therapy provides partners with the tools and knowledge necessary to build a harmonious and lasting relationship, grounded in mutual respect and trust.
Sessions can take place online or in the clinic:
The number of sessions depends on the couple’s involvement and commitment to the therapeutic process. An estimate of the required number of sessions will be provided at the final meeting of the evaluation phase, once the results are shared. However, there is no minimum or maximum number of sessions.
Couples therapy sessions are held weekly.
The duration of Gottman Couples Therapy at ID Therapy Clinic varies based on the issues being addressed and depends on the couple’s level of involvement and commitment to the therapeutic process.
This flexibility is essential to ensure that each couple receives the support they need to navigate relational challenges:
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Therapy
Therapy may be short-term—focused on a specific issue—or long-term, addressing deeper relational dynamics.
Average Duration
On average, Gottman Couples Therapy consists of approximately 20 sessions, each lasting 1–2 hours, typically spread over a period of about 6 months. You will receive an estimated number of needed sessions at the end of the evaluation phase, when the results are presented.
There is no strict minimum or maximum number of sessions, but for effective results, attending couples therapy once a week is recommended.
This structure allows couples to progress at a pace tailored to their unique needs, providing the necessary time to address and resolve relational challenges in a meaningful and sustained way.
In the couples psychotherapy office at ID Therapy, a typical session involves open and honest communication between partners, facilitated by our specialist, Dr. Nadia Gorduza — the only physician psychotherapist in Romania specialized in the Gottman Method.
Dr. Nadia Gorduza facilitates discussions, helps identify problematic interaction patterns using Gottman techniques, and provides guidance for improving communication and problem-solving within the relationship.
Yes. ID Therapy Clinic also offers online couples therapy, allowing partners to participate from the comfort of their home.
This option is particularly advantageous when physical distance or time constraints make in-person sessions difficult.