A Practice for Couples Work
Gottman-trained, trauma-informed couples therapy in Brooklyn. Weekly sessions, intensives, and structured programs for the things couples come in for: communication, intimacy, conflict, or rebuilding after an affair.
Brooklyn Heights · In-person and online across New York
Who we work with
We see couples at every stage of a relationship: dating, engaged, married for decades, co-parenting after a separation, trying to rebuild after an affair. Many people who find this page are reading on their own, before their partner knows couples therapy is on the table. That’s fine. You can come to the consult alone or together. Either is a good starting point.
Our approach
“We don’t run a fixed protocol on every couple. The first sessions are about understanding what’s happening in your relationship: the conflict you keep having, what each of you is carrying, what you both still want from this.”
Our work draws on the Gottman Method, the framework Drs. John and Julie Gottman built over forty years of studying what makes relationships work. We use it for conflict, repair, and what Gottman calls building shared meaning. When the patterns trace back to earlier attachment experiences or nervous-system responses, we layer in trauma-informed and somatic work.
A research-based framework for couples
Every couples therapist on our team is Gottman-trained. The practice runs on Gottman principles. We often use the Gottman Relationship Check-Up, a structured assessment based on decades of John Gottman’s research, to map where your relationship is strong and where it needs work.
Step 1: Initial assessment
Your first sessions are about understanding what brought you in. We talk through what’s been happening between you, what each of you is carrying, and what you both want out of this. Both partners are in the room from the start.
Step 2: Gottman Relationship Check-Up
You each complete the Gottman Relationship Check-Up. It’s an assessment built on decades of research on what makes relationships work and what predicts struggle. The result is a detailed picture of where you’re strong and where you need help. We do this with every couple.
Step 3: Where to begin
In your next session we go through what the assessment showed. We use the Sound Relationship House framework to talk about your relationship as a whole. By the end you know what’s strong, what needs work, and what we’ll focus on first.
“Successful long-term relationships are created through small words, small gestures, and small acts.”
Dr. John GottmanEvery couple comes in at a different point. Some are in real crisis. Others are still wondering whether they need couples therapy at all. The format you start with is part of the work.
Primary rhythm
Weekly is the default. Most couples who start with us stay here. This is where the patterns you notice between sessions become things you can work on together. The small moments that turn into the same fight. The way one partner pulls back when conflict starts. Weekly gives those patterns time to come into view.
Start with a consultIf weekly isn’t the right shape
Most couples meet weekly. Intensives, structured programs, and monthly sessions are alternatives for couples whose situation or schedule needs something different.
Format option
Concentrated work for couples in a hard stretch, couples coming in from out of town, or couples who want to front-load the work before settling into a weekly rhythm. Sessions run three to six hours over a day or two.
Learn about intensivesFormat option
Defined programs that pair couples sessions with nervous-system or attachment work, including the Safe & Sound Protocol where it fits the situation.
See structured programsFormat option
A check-in format for couples in a stable phase who want to keep the work current without meeting weekly.
Ask about monthlyAreas of focus we often hold
Getting started
Here’s what to expect from the moment you reach out. The consult is free, fifteen minutes, and you can come alone or together.
Book a free consultation →Free 15-minute consult. You alone or together.
Your first full session, both partners.
Weekly sessions, an intensive, or a different format, depending on where you both are.
Start solo. We often work with one partner first. Sometimes the work eventually becomes a joint conversation. Sometimes it stays individual work. For more, see Help! My Partner Won’t Go to Couples Therapy.
Yes. Every couples therapist on our team is Gottman-trained. We often use the Gottman Relationship Check-Up early in the work. See the section above and our dedicated Gottman Method page for more.
Weekly is the default and where most of the work happens over time. Intensives fit couples in a hard stretch, those traveling in from out of town, or those who want to front-load before settling into weekly. The consult is where we figure this out together.
Yes. Betrayal trauma and affair recovery are areas we work with regularly. We use Gottman’s repair framework, paced with trauma-informed care. More on our betrayal trauma page.
Our office & reach
Our office is at 15 Monroe Place in Brooklyn Heights, close to Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Downtown Brooklyn, and DUMBO. We see couples virtually anywhere in New York State.
Most couples mix in-person and telehealth sessions. The flexibility is often what makes weekly sustainable when life gets full.
Writing on couples work
Couples Therapy & Relationship Wellness
Learn how to say "no" to your partner while staying connected. Discover Gottman-inspired tips for declining bids for connection with care and empathy.
Read more →Couples Therapy & Relationship Wellness
Learn the difference between healthy pausing and stonewalling in relationships. A Gottman couples therapist explains how to take breaks without damaging...
Read more →Couples Therapy & Relationship Wellness
Learn how co-regulation helps couples heal. Discover how your nervous system finds safety through connection and how to build a foundation for lasting intimacy.
Read more →When you’re ready, or just exploring, we’re here. The consult is fifteen minutes, free, and you can come alone or together. We’ll listen, ask a few questions, and help you decide whether this is what you need right now.