Reigniting Connection How to Spark Meaningful Relationships

Presented by Zach Brittle, LMHC | Certified Gottman Therapist specializing in evidence-based couples therapy

Thursday, May 8, 2025
Porter County Expo Center • 215 E. Division Road • Valparaiso, IN
Hosted by the Porter-Starke Services Foundation

This year, Porter-Starke Services celebrates 50 years of meeting the health and wellness needs in Northwest Indiana! Collaboration, partnerships, and relationships are what make a milestone like this possible. Celebrate with us at the 2025 Living Health•Balance•Hope Symposium featuring Zach Brittle, LMHC, Certified Gottman Therapist and best-selling author, and explore the power of relationships and how we all can nurture and strengthen them!

Charting a Course for Couples Therapy

Clinician Session • 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

During this morning Clinician Session, dive deep into the principles and practices of couples therapy, guided by the insights of two leading figures: Dr. John Gottman and Terry Real. This session will explore Gottman’s empirical, research-backed 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work, alongside Real’s Relationship Grid, a narrative-based tool for understanding the dynamics of partnership. You will not only gain an overview of these methodologies, but also learn how to integrate them into your clinical practice through case examples and real-world applications. Whether working with couples facing everyday challenges or more complex relational issues, this session will equip you with practical tools to navigate the journey of couples therapy and foster healthier, stronger relationships.

Learning Objectives

●  Describe the 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work and explain how they contribute to relationship stability.
●  Identify the key components of Terry Real's Relationship Grid and demonstrate how to use it to assess relational dynamics.
●  Demonstrate the integration of Gottman’s research and Real’s narrative techniques in real-world clinical cases.
●  Apply practical tools to manage common challenges in couples therapy, such as communication breakdowns and emotional distance.
●  Evaluate the metaphor of "journey" in couples therapy and apply it to guide clients through their relationship challenges.

Reigniting Connection How to Spark Meaningful Relationships

Keynote Lunch Presentation • 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

In this engaging keynote, learn how to re-imagine the way you approach your relationships. Drawing inspiration from improv comedy, curiosity, and creative problem-solving, this talk will challenge the common pitfalls that lead to relationship stagnation. Through three key practices—immense curiosity, the power of “yes, and,” and considering multiple options when faced with relationship dilemmas— you will leave with a fresh perspective on how to keep your relationships vibrant and evolving. To conclude, the talk will introduce a method that offers tangible strategies for fostering surprise, play, asking, repair, and intimacy in everyday interactions. Whether personally or professionally, this talk will inspire you to breathe new life into your connections and cultivate stronger, more dynamic relationships with family, friends, coworkers and more!

Learning Objectives

●  Discuss how cultivating curiosity can transform communication and strengthen relationships.
●  Demonstrate how the "yes, and" philosophy from improv can be applied to enhance relationship engagement and problem-solving.
●  Identify multiple approaches to overcoming common relationship dilemmas by considering diverse perspectives.
●  Apply the S.P.A.R.K. method (surprise, play, asking, repair, kissing) to foster deeper connection and excitement in relationships.
●  Evaluate strategies for maintaining vibrancy and growth in long-term relationships through curiosity and creativity.

Meet the Presenter • Zach Brittle, LMHC, has been teaching, coaching, mentoring, and counseling couples for nearly 20 years. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington and a Certified Gottman Therapist and Relational Life Therapist. Zach is the founder and host of Marriage Therapy Radio and the author of the best-selling relationship guide The Relationship Alphabet and The Marriage Therapy Journal. His writings and insights have been featured in Vanity Fair, Men’s Health, Real Simple, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Zach has been happily married to his wife, Rebecca, for 24 of their 27 years together. They live in Seattle with their two adult daughters.

Continuing Education Units • The Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board has approved this organization to provide Category I Continuing Education for LSW, LCSW, LMFT, LMHC, LAC, and LCAC. However, licensees must judge the program's relevance to their professional practice. Indiana CEU Provider #98000555A.