CAR_Banner ImageA one-day specialty training presented by Dr. Bob Navarra

in collaboration with
Drs. John and Julie Gottman and The Gottman Institute

Statistics show that 1 in 10 people who enter a therapy office or clinic are addicted, yet only 10% receive treatment.  While addiction is often referred to as a “family disease,” current approaches in recovery typically do not provide treatment approaches that address or account for the relationship between addict and partner. To help move our clients from addiction to recovery, professionals need to know how to assess and treat addiction, and feel comfortable using tools and strategies to help couples address addiction and support recovery.  Outcome research informs us that couples counseling is more effective than individual therapy in identifying addiction and moving the addict and family into recovery.
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Couples Recovery is a new workshop for therapists, counselors and professionals who work with couples struggling with addiction as well as couples in recovery from alcohol, drugs and/or behavioral addictions. This workshop draws from the fields of addiction treatment, mental health, and couples counseling, and integrates current research findings with knowledge from clinical practice.

Couples & Addiction Recovery integrates 10 years of research by Dr. Robert Navarra (the “Couple Recovery Development Approach”) with the “Sound Relationship House” model, developed by relationship experts Drs. John and Julie Gottman.  Dr. Navarra has worked in addiction recovery for over 25 years.  He holds an Advanced Drug and Alcohol Certification and a national certification as a Master Addiction Counselor through the Assoc. of Addiction Professionals (NAADAC.)

This training teaches interventions and tools for a relational approach to healing; one that includes the addict’s recovery, the partner’s recovery, and their relationship’s recovery.

The Training Program

The training is presented by Dr. Bob Navarra, Senior Certified Gottman Trainer. It includes lecture, demonstrations, role-plays, discussion, interactive training exercises and practice sessions.

Participants learn a research-based approach to help couples:

  • Identify addiction
  • Break through denial
  • Navigate the challenging road from active addiction to recovery
  • Improve conflict management skills
  • Learn the difference between “codependency” and “interdependency” and how to identify and set appropriate boundaries
  • Develop a relationship recovery, while supporting their partner’s recovery and strengthening their own individual recovery
  • Heal from the aftermath of addiction and move toward wellness as individuals and as a couple

The tools and interventions taught in this workshop are adapted from the Gottman Method to help couples develop a Couple Recovery through increasing communication and understanding, establishing appropriate boundaries, and healing from the impact of addiction and recovery.   The workshop provides opportunities to practice the techniques, so you will feel ready to use them with individual couples and/or with small groups of couples.

Who is This Training For?

This workshop is for mental health therapists, counselors, social workers, clergy, military family life chaplains, life coaches, recovery coaches, professors, students and professionals who work with couples affected by alcohol, drugs and/or behavioral addictions.

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  • If you are a therapist or professional who works with couples and would like additional training in addiction disorders and addiction and recovery work, then this workshop is for you.
  • If you are an addiction counselor or professional and would like to learn how to effectively work with couples, then this workshop is for you.
  • If you are an executive director or clinical director of a treatment program or facility and are interested in developing or integrating couple recovery into your services, then this is an opportunity to learn how to apply a “Couples Recovery” component to your treatment program.

No prior experience or training in the Gottman Method is required; however, therapists who work with couples will greatly benefit from having at least completed Level 1 Gottman Method Couples Therapy.

See what others are saying

  • Couples affected by addiction are hungry for a framework to help heal their relationship. I highly recommend this important training for addiction treatment centers running family programs. It provides new research, insights, clinical structure and effective materials that can be used by therapists and staff to help couples build new relationship bridges.
    C.S., Clinical Director, Edgewood Health Network, Seattle
  • Since I am already trained in the Gottman method, it was really helpful to learn new, yet similar, interventions that can be applied specifically to couples working through addiction and recovery.
  • Thank you Bob! We needed this - I see so much substance abuse and addiction in the couples I work with. It's nice to have a strategy.

Included in the Registration Price:

Each participant will receive a Couples Recovery Kit for Professionals that they can begin to use immediately following the workshop. The materials are designed to help therapists and counselors effectively facilitate assessments, interventions and exercises with their couples. The training provides instruction and interactive opportunities to practice using these tools. All addiction assessments and exercises may be photo-copied as hand-outs for couples. Each participant will receive:

  • One Couples and Addiction Recovery Training Manual, which includes
    • A framework for couples assessment and treatment
    • Tools to help assess for addiction
    • Strategies to help break-down denial and resistance to identifying addiction
    • 15 new powerful and effective interventions to help build a “couple recovery”
    • Techniques to increase your confidence regarding couples dynamics
  • Aftermath of a Positive Event Intervention: Based on Aftermath of a Regrettable Incident, this intervention outlines a 5-step guide to help couples process a positive experience or event, to understand why it went well and what it meant to each person, and ways to learn from the experience to then incorporate that into their relationship.
  • Four Card Decks: My Recovery, Your Recovery, Our Recovery, and Developing Rituals of Connection. These new interactive cards are integrated into interventions specifically designed for couples in recovery.

 

Cancellation Policy

All registrations are final within 21 days of the workshop. If you are unable to attend this training, please notify us at least 21 days before the event, in order to receive a refund, minus a $50 administrative fee. Within 21 days of the workshop, no refunds will be issued.

Continuing Education Credits

This training is worth 6 CE hours. Read more about receiving Continuing Education credits here.

  • Dr. Navarra has been a Research Associate for over 10 years at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California, where he created the “Couple Recovery Development Approach (CRDA). He is also a Master Certified Gottman Therapist, who, in collaboration with Drs. John & Julie Gottman, has created a relational approach to recovery by blending his research with the research-based Gottman Sound Relationship House Model.

  • Specific therapy interventions will be taught at the workshop, many based on modified or adapted Gottman Method Approaches. While previous Gottman training is not required to attend this workshop, counselors, therapists and recovery professionals who have completed Level 1 training will find previous Gottman Couples Therapy training helpful and relevant to both the theory and interventions covered in this training.

  • Yes. This training offers service providers of all types, the concepts and skills needed to help couples understand and talk about recovery so that recovery does not replace addiction as the “new elephant in the room.” Participants interested in receiving the introductory training in Gottman Couples Therapy may purchase a home study course or attend a live two-day workshop.

  • This training is appropriate for experienced addiction treatment professionals as well as those professionals less familiar with the field. Participants will learn:

    • How to assess for substance use disorders and behavioral addictions in the context of working with couples
    • Techniques for explaining addiction “brain science”
    • Strategies for breaking denial
    • Tools for assisting couples in developing and strengthening couple recovery

  • There is no empirical evidence that working with couples in early recovery is contraindicated. In fact, there is growing evidence that early intervention with couples is associated with better treatment outcomes. Couple recovery does not replace individual recovery; rather, this approach supports individual recovery and provides tools for couples to integrate both individual and relationship recovery concurrently.

  • We cover approaches relevant to behavioral (process) addictions as well as addiction to alcohol and other drugs.

  • Your organization sponsors the staff training and couples workshop and invites The Gottman Institute to present.   The program takes place over three days:

    • Day One, Staff Training: Dr. Navarra provides a full day of training to your professional staff.  He covers many of the topics included in the training, Couples & Addiction Recovery.  In addition, he provides an overview of the couples workshop and guidance on how to support couples during their workshop exercises and small group discussions.
    • Days Two and Three, Workshop for Couples in Recovery: The couples workshop includes brief presentations, PowerPoint, role-play demonstrations, couples exercises and small group discussions.  Your trained staff will help provide support to couples during the workshop.

    Your organization markets the workshop and brings couples and staff together for the 3-day program.  For more information, please contact Etana Kunovsky at Etana@gottman.com.