Professional Training

UPCOMING EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Level 1 - Bridging the Couple Chasm

19 & 20 March 2026

IBIS MELBOURNE

15 - 21 Therry Street Melbourne, Victoria, 3000

8.30am - 4.00pm AEST

$890.00 per person

Carole Simpson is proud to partner with Relationship Institute Australasia to present this accredited Level 1 Gottman Method Couples Therapy training and therapist certification.

Relationship Institute Australasia is the first and longest serving organisation in Australia to offer accredited Gottman training and therapist certification. RIA is led by both Trish Purnell-Webb and John Flanagan - Certified Gottman Therapists, Advanced Clinical Trainers & Gottman Institute Consultants.

This training will be presented by Gottman Clinical Level 1 Trainer’s Carole Simpson & Campbell Townsend, Clinical Psychologists, Clinical Supervisors & Certified Gottman Therapists.

Level 1 is a truly inspiring workshop, offering you new insights into treatment for couples who struggle, using research-based assessments and effective interventions.

Our practical, emotion-focused, and highly effective approach is based on Drs. John and Julie Gottman’s four decades of research with more than 3,000 couples. It is the most extensive study ever done on marital stability and divorce prediction.

In this workshop, you will be provided with a research-based roadmap for helping couples compassionately manage their conflicts, deepen their friendship and intimacy, and share their life purpose and dreams based on the Sound Relationship House Theory.

You will learn research-based strategies and tools to help couples successfully manage conflict. You will gain skills to empower partners to dialogue about their worst gridlocked issues by uncovering their underlying dreams, history, and values. You will gain tools to help couples process fights and heal their hurts, and techniques for partners to deepen their intimacy and minimize relapse.

After this workshop you will complete a quiz to gain your official Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1 Training Certificate as well as a CPD certificate of 12 hours.

  • -  How couples really sustain their marriages–in contrast to common myths and misconceptions.

    -  How the quality of relationships affects the immune system, physical health and well-being.

    -  How marital problems change over time but never go away–even in happy couples.

    -  Proven strategies and tools to help couples successfully manage conflict

    -  Skills that empower partners to dialogue about their worst gridlocked issues

    -  Approaches for multiple presenting co-morbidities including incest, the effects of poverty, PTSD and infidelity

    -  Methods to help couples process their fights and heal their hurts

    -  Techniques for couples to deepen their intimacy and minimize relapse

    After this workshop you will complete a quiz to gain your official Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1 Training Certificate as well as a CPD certificate of 12 hours.

  • -  Mental health providers

    -  Allied professionals

    -  Clergy

    -  Students and interns

    -  Family clinic staff

    -  Professors/teachers of couples therapy

    -  Researchers in the social sciences

    -  Employee assistance professionals

  • Relationship Institute Australasia is one of the leading agencies in Australia to offer Gottman training and therapist certification.
    We are committed in ensuring access to high quality learning and supports for all therapists engaged in our programs.

    When you register at Relationship Institute Australasia, you also join the growing number of practicing Gottman Therapists in this country to support your ongoing development and learning.

    At RIA we are absolutely committed to building a strong Gottman Therapist community in Australasia; building respectful, kind and gentle relationships -  one couple at a time.
     
    So, in addition to attending our training, we offer the following supports to our participants.

    -  Free RIA Therapist Facebook page that offers excellent support for all aspects of couples therapy practice.
    This private Facebook group provides access to timely advice and experience from over 550 Gottman Relationship therapists. Any practice questions or dilemmas are welcomed in this amazingly supportive and positive group.

    -  Access to supervision from Trish and John or from several other brilliant Certified Gottman therapists in Australia to support your professional learning.

    -  Opportunity to continue your Gottman journey though Level 1, 2, 3 and the Certification Track 


  • Our cancellation policy for live in-person training is as follows:

    Refunds less $50.00 administration fee / payment portal fee / card fee are given for cancellations received in writing via email or fax to kylie@relationshipinstitute.com.au, no less than 21 days prior to the event. Refunds are not possible less than 21 days before the event, regardless of personal circumstances. Cancellation policy is final and not negotiable. Relationship Institute Australasia (RIA) regrets the difficult personal circumstances that prevent people attending including medical concerns and emergencies, severe weather or transport difficulty, however the logistics of event management prevents RIA from assuming responsibility for such difficulties.

    Our cancellation policy for live online therapist training is as follows:

    Refunds less $50 administration fee and credit card fees are given for cancellations received in writing via email to kylie@relationshipinstitute.com.auno less than 21 days prior to the event. .  Cancellation policy is final and not negotiable. Cancellations outside this period will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

    Please note that if cancelling a Gottman training, and your Gottman Portal access has already been ordered on your behalf, we will be not be able to refund that portion. 

    Cancellation policy for Art and Science of Love Weekend Workshops as follows:

    As the Art and Science of Love Weekend Workshops are held by different organisations and only advertised through Relationship Institute Australasia Website and newsletters, please refer to that specific organisations cancellation policy for the event you are registering for.  Relationship Institute Australasia holds no responsibility for any advertised Art and Science of Love events - however they are covered by the presenters own cancellation policies.

    TRANSFER OF REGISTRATION TO ANOTHER EVENT
    If transferring to another live event with 2 weeks or less notice, please note that a venue and hospitality fee for the new venue will be charged.  This is generally $110 per day per participant. No refund will be provided if a cancellation is requested for the second event.

    If transferring to another on-line event no refund will be provided if a cancellations  is requested for the second event.

    TRANSFER OF REGISTRATION TO ANOTHER PERSON
    Registrations are transferable IN FULL to another person on notification in writing to RIA and no admin fees are charged for this service. Where a delegate can only attend for part of a training, transfer of the remainder of the registration to another person is NOT possible.

    CANCELLATION OF AN EVENT BY RIA
    RIA will contact you within 10 days of the event date on the rare occasion that we need to cancel an event. You will be offered the following options:

    1. A full refund of your paid registration fee.

    2. Transfer of your registration into another equivalent event on our calendar.

    3. A credit note for the full amount paid to be used at any future events.

    TRAVELLING ARRANGEMENTS
    If you are booking travel and accommodation to attend an RIA event we require that you check with our office regarding registration numbers to ensure the event will proceed. RIA undertakes no liability for cancellation of travel and accommodation costs and recommends taking travel insurance.

Book Now

You will be re-directed to the Relationship Institute Australia’s website to complete the booking

Presenters

  • Clinical Psychologist/Certified Gottman Therapist

    Carole Simpson is a clinical Psychologist, Clinical Supervisor & Certified Gottman Therapist.  With  20 years of experience supporting mental health and relationships, she holds a Masters of Psychology (Clinical), is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, an approved supervisor for multiple clinical training programs and the Principal Clinical Psychologist and Certified Gottman Therapist at Talk Psychology and Counselling in Adelaide - South Australia.

  • Clinical Psychologist/Certified Gottman Therapist

    Campbell Townsend is a Clinical Psychologist, Board-Approved Supervisor, and Certified Gottman Therapist and Trainer based in Central Victoria. He works with couples and individuals in his private practice and offers Marathon Therapy intensives for couples from across Australia. Alongside his clinical work, Campbell is a Senior Research Consultant at Monash University, where he contributes to psilocybin- and MDMA-assisted therapy research. His approach combines the structure of the Gottman Method with somatic awareness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and IFS to help people repair, reconnect, and thrive in their relationships and lives.

  • Certified Gottman Therapist, Advanced Clinical Trainer & Gottman Institute Consultant

    John is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. John was the first and only Social Worker in Australia to become a Certified Gottman Therapist, Master Trainer and Consultant. John is trained to provide therapy to individuals, couples and groups in a range of therapeutic approaches and has a Masters in Gestalt Therapy. John is highly experienced in working with couples and individuals in a range of therapeutic settings particularly in the areas of trauma, trauma, stress, depression, and anxiety.