Jennifer Santos, MFT

HistoryMichael Basta, LCSW and Marcia Gomez, LCSW are both licensed clinical social workers with many years experience providing individual, family, and couples therapy. In 2002, they each started advanced training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. They became certified in this research-based approach to couples therapy in 2005 and began staffing couples workshops offered by Drs. John and Julie Gottman in Seattle. After over a decade providing the Art and Science of Love Couples Workshop locally to couples and training numerous therapists in Gottman Method, they have shifted their focus, no longer providing couples workshops and professional trainings locally. Marcia continues to provide these in Latin America, but locally Mike and Marcia are focused primarily on providing Gottman Method Couples Therapy, both in its standard format and in marathon format. Both also continue to work as consultants for the Gottman Institute helping therapists in their final stages towards certification.SpecialtiesWelcome to Sonoma Couples Workshop! We, Marcia Gomez and Mike Basta are Certified Gottman Method Couples therapists, master trainers, and consultants for the Gottman Institute. We have provided couples workshops, professional trainings, and therapy for over a decade, but are now focused on providing couples therapy, both in a traditional model and in marathon format. We have been directly trained by the esteemed couples researchers/therapists, Drs. John and Julie Gottman. Gottman Method Couples Therapy is based upon over 40 years of research with over 3000 couples. The Gottman's work has helped blend as scientific basis with the art of couples therapy. We have found it to be invaluable in giving us a roadmap to help couples learn to connect better emotionally, learn to manage conflict more effectively, to develop a greater sense of shared meaning, and to heal from breaches in trust to build stronger commitment as a couple. Both Mike and Marcia have become very interested in marathon therapy, which is a form of Gottman Method Couples Therapy that is provided over a three day period for 16 to 18 hours with a few shorter follow-up sessions. They are both part of a research project with the Gottman Institute directed to determine the effectiveness of this approach.