The Marriage Clinic: A Scientifically-Based Marital Therapy

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive overview!
Review: This book by John Gottman deals with nearly all aspects of marital therapy: myths and mistakes, assessment methods, and interventions.
It is strictly research oriented, i.e. Gottman does not follow a special theoretical school such as psychodynamic of cognitive-behavioral marital therapy. His findings from the last 30 years include many diversions from classical marital therapy as well as some really surprising finding. Let me give you just one example: active listening, the core concept of many therapies is NOT fundamental for a good marriage. Actually, even happily married couples very rarely use active listening. This is not to say that active listening is harmful, it is just not necessary for developing and maintaining a happy relationship.
Gottman offers his own version of clinically proven interventions, their respective assumptions and sections for dealing with problems.
This book is aimed for therapists and counselors. They will find a wealth of information, especially a lot of assessment instruments.
Every professional in the area of marital therapy should read this book. You will surely find many recommendations. After all, it's the clients' health you are serving. Gottman's interventions have proven to be greatly beneficial for couples: his clients divorce half as often as clients treated with traditional marriage therapy.
That alone should be reason enough to actively use his methods.
The interested lay person should read Gottman's book "The 7 principles for making marriage work" which explains his findings in easy to understand language.
By and large, this book is an excellent example of a professional resource book!

Rating:
Summary: Profound view of marital therapy
Review: This remarkable book advances the understanding of what works in marital and, I believe, family therapy. Early chapters review marital theories, and how they lived up to their assumptions when tested through well designed research. Gottman presents a very respectful attitude toward the marital couple and emphasizes the importance of honoring the goal of establishing and supporting the couple's self sufficiency. The chapter titled Buffering Children From Marital Conflict is an insightful introduction into how to help parents develop the tools to strenghten their children's resilience. As a person who has worked with at risk children and families for 17 years and has recently completed a masters degree in mental health counseling, I have read my share of family counseling books. From Satir to Whitaker to Lang to Minuchen(sp)... (you get the point). This is by far the best book on the subject!