Sheila Addison

Dr. Sheila Addison is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Gottman Therapist and Master Trainer, as well as a consultant for The Gottman Institute. She earned her MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from Syracuse University in 2000, and her PhD from the same program in 2007. She enjoys helping therapists enhance their practice with Gottman trainings; she also offers supervision toward AASECT sex therapy certification and Deliberate Practice coaching for building clinical skills. She is currently at work on a Deliberate Practice for Gottman Couple Therapy book for APA Press.

She lives in Seattle with her partner and their three cats: Koala T. Catt, City Supervisor Harvey Milk, and Sir Ian “Gogo” McKellen. Sometimes she gardens. Sometimes she writes things.

Available for Speaking:

Sheila’s clinical motto for her practice is “Building Relationships to Last a Lifetime.” She has worked with diverse couples from the beginning of her career, and has written many articles and book chapters about working with LGBTQ+ clients, including the widely cited “Expanding the therapy paradigm with queer couples: A relational intersectional lens” published in Family Process. She has worked in academia, private practice, and community mental health at different times in her career. She has expertise in child development, family and parenting issues, non-traditional family forms, and couple/intimate relationships of all kinds, including the trust injuries that can occur between partners (including, but not limited to, affairs) .

Sheila has given professional presentations at conferences all over the United States and the world. Topics close to her heart include sexual and gender identity, weight stigma/fatphobia in couples and families, sexual communication and consent, diverse sexual and romantic relationship styles, power and privilege in relationships, and disability/ableism. She also enjoys talking about clinical skill development, ethical decision-making, managing multiple relationships, multicultural skills and cultural humility, the Wheel of Consent model, and Deliberate Practice.

She also trains mental health clinicians in Levels 1, 2 and 3 of the Gottman Method, and serves as a consultant for therapists pursuing certification.

Sheila has a personable, energetic speaking style that incorporates her sense of humor, warmth, and personal stories.

Available for Consulting:

*Accepting New Certification Candidates*

Sheila has more than 25 years of experience working a diverse range of couples. As a Consultant, she can give culturally-relevant feedback while also helping you understand the Certification process. Sheila is also an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, so she is comfortable consulting on cases in which clients are exploring sexual issues. She can help Consultees address both the practical issues of applying Gottman interventions and the relational aspect of working with sensitive, intimate issues.

In addition to being a Certified Gottman Therapist and Master Trainer, Sheila is also a Certified Deliberate Practice coach and supervisor. Deliberate Practice is a skill-building method used in many fields, such as sports and music for focusing on small, identifiable skills that are part of a longer sequence, and rehearsing those skills to improve overall performance. She can incorporate DP work into the consultation process as needed to help strengthen any skills needed to help meet the benchmarks for video review.

Sheila approaches clinical work with empathy, humor, and realness, and brings that same style to her work with Consultees. She encourages Consultees to develop ease and confidence with the Gottman Method so they can communicate the same to their clients, creating trust and “buy-in” to the therapy process.

You can contact Sheila directly to learn about her consultation pricing and more through her Gottman Referral Network profile here.