Highway to the Heart

Highway to the Heart couples’ therapy, created by Patti Hatton, LPC, incorporates the work of psychologist John Gottman, who is world-renowned for his work on marital stability and divorce prediction. With over forty years of breakthrough research with thousands of couples, Gottman concludes that couples do not necessarily divorce because they fall out of love, but because they never learn how to resolve their problems.

If you were invited to play in a semi-professional soccer match, yet you did not know the rules of the game, how would you respond? Likely, you would decline, rather than try to participate without an understanding of the game or having developed the skills to play. However, regarding marriage, most of us begin without the necessary skills for effective communication and conflict resolution. We typically do not know how to connect with a spouse on a heart level.

In Highway to the Heart couples’ counseling, Patti will begin with an assessment of your marriage successes and struggles. She will listen to the challenges within your marriage relationship with the goal of aiding each person to feel heard and understood. Patti will work to identify the presenting problem and the unmet heart needs of each person. The first step to healing is acknowledging and owning our pain.

Virginia Satir, a renowned psychologist, coined the phrase, “the problem is never the problem! It is only a symptom of an unmet need of the heart.” What are the needs of our hearts? How do I own my needs and communicate them to my spouse in a non-defensive manner? Learning the universal needs of every heart equips one to understand why they are feeling frustrated and unfulfilled.

Patti will work with you to master the skills of speaking your truth in love, regulating your own emotions, and practicing the art of conflict resolution and connection. She will work with you individually and as a couple. You will role-play skills learned with your therapist, who will act as both a facilitator and a coach.

Lastly, Patti will help you to establish couple rituals and traditions that will foster connection and “the good stuff” that we long to experience. An intimate and satisfying marriage relationship is one of the greatest blessings we can experience this side of heaven. A healthy relationship blesses your children and has tremendous power and influence in our communities. Every penny and ounce of energy expended towards achieving a God-honoring relationship between you and your spouse is worth its weight in gold.

Reach out to Patti to learn how to form or join a small marriage enrichment group, have a workshop presented at your church or synagogue, or to book Patti to be a guest speaker at your next event.