Ready to boost your relationship in one day?
Marriage and Relationship Workshop
I thought I knew how marriage worked… until my parents’ marriage fell apart a month before my wedding.
It shook everything I thought I knew about love, trust, and commitment.I searched online for how to be a good wife and marriage advice, desperate to avoid the same heartbreak. What I really needed was a practical, research-based marriage workshop — one I didn’t find until years later.
That’s exactly what our 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work workshop offers: evidence-based tools, interactive exercises, and real strategies to strengthen your marriage, deepen connection, and grow together.
The Seven Principles Workshop for Couples is an in-person relationship and marriage workshop based on the internationally acclaimed research of Dr. John Gottman, which was presented in his New York Times bestselling book, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. This educational workshop has been offered across the US and internationally and has strengthened the relationships of tens of thousands of couples. It’s specifically designed to help couples improve their friendship and learn powerful communication and conflict management skills.
The workshop is led by Anna McDonald, LCSW, who is a Certified Gottman Therapist. The workshop includes lectures, demonstrations, videos, and private couples exercises. The activities are fun, insightful, and informative. Participants will not share their personal problems in front of others, but instead will learn and practice new tools for communication and connection.
What People Are Saying
“My husband and I were learning and applying the principles to our marriage whenever a test came up. Each class brought a significant results to our marriage the more we applied them and mutually agreed to understand one another.”
— Fall 2025 Participant
“Learning the 7 principles and doing them during class exercises were very impactful. There were times that we came to class and we were not talking prior to class. But doing the exercises together forced my husband and I to talk and we were in better terms with each other after class.”
— Fall 2025 Participant
“‘When you know better, you do better’ was not always the case. This workshop has allowed us to understand this, and have also provided alternative ways in recognizing this.”
— Fall 2025 Participant
Appropriate couples for the workshop are:
Pre-engaged
Premarital
Everyone from newlyweds to seniors
Those who wish to enhance a good marriage
Those needing better conflict management tools
Couples this workshop is not suited for are people experiencing:
Severe relationship distress
Emotional abuse
Domestic violence
Active addictions (alcohol, drugs, sexual, gambling, etc.)
Serious mental health problems in one or both partners
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the workshop?
The workshop will consist of a weekly 1.5-hour meeting for 10 weeks.
What is included in my registration fee?
Two workbooks and learning research-based communication and relationship-building techniques will be included in your registration fee.
Do my partner and I have to share personal information with others in the intensive?
Absolutely not. This is not a therapeutic workshop where we dig into the nitty-gritty of the relationship, but instead a psychoeducational workshop. All the personal things can and should remain personal during this intensive.
Do I need to read the book prior to attending?
No, you do not need to read the book before attending. Many past participants, however, have found it helpful to read the book as they go, reinforcing the learning from the workshop.