Scientific Assessment
Leads to Better Results

The future of relationship assessment is here.

The Gottman Relationship Checkup, created by Drs. John and Julie Gottman and now available to all Clinical Professionals working with couples, automatically scores a relationship’s strengths and challenges and provides specific therapeutic recommendations for intervention.

Invite Your First Couple Free!

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Research-Based

Developed from over 50 years of scientific research by Dr. John Gottman, this data-driven relationship assessment tool relies on intensive, detailed, and evidence-based information on why relationships succeed or fail.
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In-Depth

Fully HIPAA compliant, the questionnaire consists of 337 questions about friendship, intimacy, emotions, conflict, values, and trust, as well as parenting, housework, finances, individual areas of concern, and more.

Get Started In Four Simple Steps

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Sign up with Gottman Connect

The Gottman Relationship Checkup is now available to all clinical professionals working with couples! Getting started is as easy as applying to become an approved Gottman Connect provider via a simple, free registration process. While training in the Gottman Method is highly recommended, it is not required - additional tutorials and resources are be available upon account approval.
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Invite your couples

Once approved, the next step is to invite your couples to complete the Gottman questionnaire. The process is simple - start by entering two separate emails, one for each partner, with their respective names.

Next, decide who will pay the $39.00 fee per couple: you can choose to pay yourself and incorporate it into your pricing structure, or defer to them to pay via the portal directly. Each partner will receive their own personal invitation via email to complete their profile. This profile will be associated with their individual responses to the questionnaire, and will be only be accessible by that individual. To ensure privacy, we request that you advise the couple not to share any login information with each other.

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Complete the questionnaire

Fully HIPAA compliant, the questionnaire consists of 337 questions about friendship, intimacy, emotions, conflict, values, and trust. It includes questions about parenting, housework, finances, and individual areas of concern.

Each partner completes the online questionnaire independently and you receive the results, recommendations, and reports as soon as they have both submitted their responses.

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Review detailed results

You will be notified as soon as both partners have submitted their questionnaires. From your dashboard you will be able to view and download detailed reports that include responses, areas of concern in the relationship, and suggested treatment options. This will prepare you to develop a personalized treatment plan that precisely focuses on the unique needs of each couple. The system includes a detailed report you can provide your couples to help them understand their strengths and challenges and begin their journey to a stronger relationship.

Have More Questions?

What is The Gottman Relationship Checkup based on?

As clinicians we seek a relationship profile that can measure the very specific strengths and challenges that our clients are facing in their relationship and in their individual lives. Dr. Gottman's lab began designing many of these assessment scales in 1980 and it has taken decades of diligent research to harness this knowledge into a streamlined assessment tool. That is the accomplishment of the Sound Relationship House Theory and other measures of The Gottman Relationship Checkup.

Before this tool was built, Dr. Gottman needed to know that The Sound Relationship House questionnaires, which are included in the Gottman Relationship Checkup, accurately measure what they purport to measure. For example, if there is a challenge in Fondness and Admiration for one partner but not the other, he needed to be confident that we would actually see less respect and more contempt in a SPAFF coding of the couple’s Conflict Interaction and/or a Buehlman Coding of the couple’s Oral History Interview. He is delighted to report that this is indeed the case. The Gottman Relationship Checkup contains several additional questionnaires, some of which are in the process of being tested and validated. Additional information about the psychometric properties of the questionnaires may be found on the psychometrics page.

What is the process for sending the assessment to a couple?

This can done in four easy steps!

  • Step 1: To get started, click here.
  • Step 2: Complete your online profile under the “Sign Up as a Clinician” tab. When you click on “Sign Up”, your information will be sent to The Gottman Institute training team for approval.
  • Step 3: After review, our training team will either ask you for additional information or send you an email with a link to purchase an assessment for a couple.
  • Step 4: Once you have purchased an assessment, enter in each partner’s email address and invite them to complete the questionnaires.
How do I apply to become a member?
To apply to become a member of the Gottman Relationship Checkup, click here.
How much does it cost to apply to Gottman Connect?
Membership to Gottman Connect is free. Once you have registered and been approved to use the platform, there is a $39.00 fee per couple when they are invited to use the Checkup. This can be paid by you or by your client directly. This cost covers automatic, digital scoring of the assessment, as well as clinical feedback and specific recommendations for intervention written by Drs. John and Julie Gottman.
Do I have to be trained in Gottman Method Couples Therapy?

No. However, training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy will enhance your ability to use The Gottman Relationship Checkup. The core Gottman Assessments are taught in the Level 1 Training. If you are interested in learning more about our professional training program, click here.

How long does it take couples to complete the questionnaires?

The actual time it takes for couples to complete the assessment varies based on individual response time, the complexity of relationship dynamics, and the use of optional comment areas to provide additional information about the relationship. However, on average, you can expect it will take each person one to two hours to complete the assessment.

If my clients don’t want to take the test all at once, can they stop taking the test and resume it later?

Yes! The pace and timing for the completion of the assessment is entirely up to them. Each partner completes his or her assessment individually, and can choose whether to complete the questionnaires all in one sitting or to work on them in increments over time. If they choose to take a break, they can simply log out. Upon their return, the system will remember where they left off and resume at that point.

Can either partner see the other’s answers while taking the test?

No. Once you invite your clients to take the Gottman Relationship Checkup, they will need to create a personal profile before beginning the assessment. Their password is specific to their information and responses. Neither partner can access the other’s information at any time unless profile information and passwords are shared. However, we strongly discourage collaboration in order to preserve the integrity and effectiveness of the questionnaire.

Can a client skip some of the questions or not answer certain sections of the assessment?

The intent of the assessment is that all of the questions are answered. This will allow you to receive a more comprehensive picture of their relationship and also to have the best success in your therapeutic interventions. Many questions have optional comment areas intended for clarification or explanation of responses. This will allow couples to add any important details that they would like you to have about a particular question, topic, or concern.

How soon will I get the couple’s results after they finish the questionnaires?

Immediately after the second partner completes his or her assessment, you will receive an email with a link to your password protected section of the website where the couples' completed analysis may be viewed.

If only one partner completes the questionnaire, will I get their results? Or do both partners have to finish the assessment?

For the analysis to be completed, both partners must complete the assessment.

What do I say if the couple wants a copy of their results? What if just one person wants the results, but the other does not?

We strongly recommend that you do not provide a printed copy of the results to couples. These assessments require sensitivity as well as clinical wisdom to use them to provide a helpful therapeutic roadmap.

Is the Gottman Relationship Checkup compliant with HIPAA?

Yes.

What security measures are in place for the Relationship Checkup?

This site uses 256-bit SSL encryption to secure your connection. No personally identifiable health information is ever transmitted via email. The software the site runs on is actively monitored and kept up-to-date with prompt application of the latest security patches.

Where can I find the norms, reliability, and validity data for the assessment?

Each of the questionnaires provided in The Gottman Relationship Checkup has been created as a unique measure of the couple’s relationship. As such, many sources have been considered and the norms, reliability, and validity data can be found in Dr. Gottman’s many academic journal articles. Complete citations for the references included in the assessment can be found here.

I have used the Gottman standard written assessment package in the past. Why are some of these questionnaires different?

This online tool has been adapted from the paper version and has been revised with the addition of new questionnaires custom-made for the online format. The online version provides you, the clinician, with a comprehensive assessment, automatic scoring, and a recommended comprehensive treatment plan for your clients, and saves you time and effort while also improving accuracy.

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I’ve seen a lot of innovation over the past 40 years...but this is honestly a revolutionary marriage between the heart and science of couples’ therapy!

Dr. Nancy Young

Dr. Nancy Young
Clinician, Costa Mesa

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I enjoy enhanced therapeutic planning by using the innovation of the Couples Report that explains specific strengths and challenges.

Dr. John Crossen, MBA

Dr. John Crossen, MBA
Clinician, Portland

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The couples report is incredibly helpful. My couples seems relieved with the well laid out plan and ready to get to work.

Alysha Roll, MSW, LCSW

Alysha Roll, MSW, LCSW
Clinician, Houston

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I really appreciate being able to see the details of each partner’s questionnaires and the ability to see their answers. The site also offers recommendations about what interventions to use with the couple, which will be very helpful for therapists of all levels of experience.

Carrie Cole, M.ED., LPC

Carrie Cole, M.ED., LPC
Clinician, Houston

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I just received my first Relationship Checkup result today and I think you’ll be happy to hear that it definitely exceeds my expectations, with regard to clarity, accuracy, depth, and detail.

Saul Stern, LMFT

Saul Stern, LMFT
Clinician, New York

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My clients had a great experience using the Relationship Checkup and found it very user-friendly. In addition, the automatic scoring and personalized feedback reports are a great time saver. I will never hand score an assessment again.

Therese Soudant, LMFT

Therese Soudant, LMFT
Clinician, Seattle

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This time-saving resource offers a clear and easily presentable description of each partner's current experience of the relationship, and it also points the way for me as a therapist to tailor an effective course of therapy that is best suited for each particular couple.

Jonathan Shippey, M.A., LMFT

Jonathan Shippey, M.A., LMFT
Clinician, Louisville

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The Enhanced Relationship Checkup and The Love Lab together give me a unique and in-depth look into not only how couples think and feel about their relationship, but also what their emotional experience is as they interact. This understanding helps me pinpoint exact areas of a couple's strength or challenge better than was ever possible. It is invaluable in my work with couples.

Julie Sharon-Wagschal, M.A., LMHC

Julie Sharon-Wagschal, M.A., LMHC
Psychologist, Amsterdam

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The Builder has been a great resource and the perfect tool. As an example, I have an older couple who are down to sessions every 4 to 6 weeks. At this point, they are in maintenance mode. The Builder gives them something to take hold of and use themselves. They use the Builder in different ways to deepen what they learned when we were meeting for weekly sessions. Sometimes, they use it for date nights and bonding time. They love it. It’s been great! Makes my job a lot easier.

Terri Ammirati, M.A., LCPC

Terri Ammirati, M.A., LCPC
Clinician, Illinois

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I recommend the Builder and am confident in the work assignments. One client is so enthusiastic that they went ahead of the Repair Work assignment. They came to the session with language and a process-building in their relationship. Another couple received the assignment to do the Stress-Reducing Conversation, and they progressed using a Rituals of Connection conversation. I created a goal assignment to move between the two seamlessly. Looking forward to seeing how the conversation progresses!

Mike Fidler, MSW, RSW

Mike Fidler, MSW, RSW
Clinician, Ontario