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On-Demand
2025 LAMFT Conference: Past Perspective to Future Application

Science-Based Couples Therapy: Ten Principles

Jonathan Shippey
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Information

Date & Time

  • -

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Participants will gain foundational knowledge of the Gottman Method, including its key principles and research-based concepts, and how they apply to improving communication, emotional connection, and conflict management in couples therapy.

  • Therapists will learn how to identify and assess the strengths and challenges in relationships using Gottman’s assessment tools based on the Sound Relationship House Theory - and understand why engaging in a thorough evidence-based assessment protocol is essential prior to intervening with any given couple.

  • Participants will learn ten principles to guide them in offering competent care for the couples they serve.

Description

This workshop will highlight key principles for practicing effective couples therapy. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from a couples therapist with 25 years of experience, is an Advanced Clinical Trainer with the Gottman Institute, and who also incorporates key principles from Emotion Focused Couples Therapy into his practice.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Jonathan Shippey
Jonathan Shippey has been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice since 2000 and has served clients in the Louisville, Kentucky area since completion of his Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary in 1997. Jonathan also holds a Masters degree in music composition from Southern Seminary, as well as a Bachelors degree in biology from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Jonathan is a Senior Certified Gottman Couples Therapist and one of only 30 Advanced Clinical Trainers to be designated as such by the Gottman Institute, having been personally trained by Drs. John and Julie Gottman. He regularly leads the “Art and Science of Love” workshop for couples, the “Seven Principles for Singles” workshop, and the Level 1, 2, & 3 Gottman Method trainings for clinicians and is also a consultant for therapists pursuing Gottman Method Certification. Jonathan has regularly assisted the Gottmans when they lead couples workshops in Seattle and is among a select few whom John and Julie Gottman have invited to assist with private retreats in their home on Orcas Island, Washington. Jonathan is also currently pursuing certification as an Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist, having completed an externship in EFT with Dr. Sue Johnson and the four EFT Core Skills workshops. Prior to becoming a therapist Jonathan was a US army officer in Germany, serving as a platoon leader of combat medics in a forward-deployed tank battalion, followed by service as the company commander of the 130th Station Hospital in Heidelberg during the first Persian Gulf War. Jonathan’s military experience, paired with his specialty in the field of couples therapy, has led to several prominent speaking engagements, including couples workshops for East and West Coast US Navy SEAL teams, as well as Couples Odyssey workshops for combat trauma survivors and their spouses on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project. Other noteworthy presentations include a workshop at the national convention of the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy, several couples workshops in Australia, and an advanced level Gottman training in South Korea. Jonathan is dedicated to helping couples not merely heal their relationships, but to create relationships that become ongoing healing experiences for both partners.