Who We Are

Introducing Dr. John Gottman

John M. Gottman, PhD is the Executive Director of the Relationship Research Institute, a non-profit research institute dedicated to marriage, family and child developmental research. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle and is one of the leading research scientists in the world on marriage, relationships and family.

Dr. Gottman is the author of over 130 journal articles and has authored, coauthored or edited over 30 books, including “Why Marriages Succeed or Fail,” “The Heart of Parenting: Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child,” (Simon and Schuster), “What Predicts Divorce?” (L. Erlbaum Assoc.), “The Marriage Clinic” (W.W. Norton); “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work,” and “The Mathematics of Marriage, Dynamic Non-linear Models,” (MIT Press).

Dr. Gottman has conducted seminars, lectures and workshops throughout the world for his academic colleagues in the field of psychology and family relations. He has also appeared on numerous radio and television programs such as 20/20, Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, Eye to Eye, NPR’s Fresh Air, BBC and Discovery Channel documentaries, among others.

Dr. Gottman and his wife, Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman are the founding co-directors of The Gottman Institute in Seattle, Washington.

Introducing Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman

Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD is the Clinical Director for The Gottman Institute, Clinical Supervisor for the Couples Together Against Violence study at the Relationship Research Institute, and is Director of The Gottman Institute's Relationship Clinic. In private practice, she specializes in work with individuals and couples who suffer from marital distress, childhood abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, or cancer. In 2002, she was awarded the Distinguished Psychologist of the Year by the Washington State Psychological Association.

Together with her husband Dr. John Gottman, she conducts the "Gottman Method Marital Therapy, A Research Based Approach" workshops, Advanced Study and Certification training programs, as well as The Art and Science of Love weekend workshops for couples. For the Relationship Research Institute, she helped to develop the curriculum for the Bringing Baby Home program. She is co-author and editor for the upcoming book, The Marriage Clinic Case Book (Norton).

She has been a frequent guest on radio and TV talk shows throughout the United States and Canada, and has served as a consultant for several national TV programs including ABC’s 20/20 and is featured in Discovery Health Channel’s relationship series, “The Love Lab.”

Introducing Renay Bradley

Renay P. Cleary Bradley is the Research Director for the Relationship Research Institute and has worked extensively with the Executive Director, John Gottman, developing and implementing programs, and analyzing data from studies exploring parenting, marriage, and family relationships. Renay’s work has focused on identification of family-level protective factors that encourage healthy child development and discourage maladjustment. Renay has a special interest in conducting research that provides a solid foundation from which we can develop and implement programs and services that help families, including those experiencing the transition to parenthood.

Renay has worked in both clinical and research settings with families that have encountered adversities, such as intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, mental illness, and poverty. Renay also has extensive teaching experience and has taught undergraduate courses at the University of Washington on topics such as Research Methods in Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Stress & Coping. Renay has received awards for her teaching, service to the academic community, and research. She was the recipient of the 2007 American Psychological Association Division 43 Family Psychology Student Research Award.

Introducing Emily Nackley

In January, 2009, Emily Nackley began working as the Program Coordinator for Bringing Baby Home. She received her undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in Sociology. After college she found she was more and more oriented towards marriage and family studies.

When she moved to Seattle from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007, she learned of two doctors named Julie and John Gottman and fell in love with their research; so much so that she began working with the Relationship Research Insitute! Emily considers it an honor to be on staff with the "RRI", working as their Bringing Baby Home Program Coordinator.