The decision to seek couples counseling can be fraught with confusion and apprehension. The decision is made more difficult because almost every therapist, regardless of training, offers “couples counseling” or “marital therapy”. Yet few have received training in this complex field beyond a post-graduate course. Before you commit yourself to the hard work of couples counseling – and it will take commitment to change the negative beliefs, behaviors and expectations that are typical of unhappy relationships – it is important to shop wisely for a therapist. Ask about advanced training and experience before selecting a therapist, and ask with whom the therapist has studied and trained. This matters.
Dr. Pierson completed the rigorous training at the Gottman Institute in Seattle, Washington. Today, with divorce rates of 50%, couples face severe challenges and seek a scientifically sound therapy to help them in the real world.
“As a Gottman trained therapist, I can offer clients an evidenced-based treatment derived from Dr. Gottman’s over 35 years of research with over 4000 couples.”
Just as Masters and Johnson were pioneers in the study of human sexuality, so Dr. John Gottman has revolutionized our understanding of marriage. In his seminal work he analyzed the key seven principles for making marriage work. No other approach to couples’ education and therapy has relied on such intensive, detailed, and long-term scientific study of why marriages succeed or fail. The Gottman Institute™ applies leading-edge research on marriage in a practical, down-to-earth therapy and trains therapists committed to helping couples.
Dr. Pierson has also completed extensive training with Terrence Real. Unlike John Gottman, Terry is not a researcher, but based on his extensive clinical experience he teaches perhaps the most innovative approach to helping couples achieve connection through accountability. Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.” His book, The New Rules of Marriage, offers the reader a commonsense step-by-step guide to greater intimacy.
A message from Dr. Pierson: “Fifteen years ago, after having worked with couples for over ten years, I decided to seek out and learn from the best relationship professionals I could find. I wanted someone on the cutting edge, someone not simply rehashing old theories and applying them to couples. It was a confusing and often frustrating search until I discovered John Gottman and, later, Terry Real. They are, quite simply, the best out there. I am pleased to offer to my clients counseling based on the research and teachings of these two giants, and I am committed to helping couples implement the skills and tools developed by them.”