Why We Created a Couples Workshop That Is Not Therapy — And Who It Is Actually For
Learn to Love Better is a Gottman-informed couples workshop in Singapore for couples who are not in crisis — but who know that fine is not the same as close. It takes place on 15 August 2026 in Outram, Singapore, runs for 2 hours, and is capped at 7 couples. Tickets are SGD 180 per couple and are available on Eventbrite.
Most couples do not need therapy. What they need is an afternoon to actually turn toward each other — with structure, with guidance, and with something real to take home.
Why This Workshop Exists
In a typical therapy setting, couples come because something has broken down. The conflict has become unmanageable. Trust has been ruptured. The distance between them has grown into something neither person knows how to cross. While that is important work, it is not the only work that matters.
There is a much larger group of couples who will never walk into a therapist's office — not because their relationship is fine, but because it has not gotten bad enough to justify it. They are managing. They are functional. They love each other. And underneath all of that, something has quietly thinned. The connection that used to feel effortless now requires effort they do not quite know how to direct.
These couples are not in crisis. They are in drift. And drift, left long enough, becomes distance.
This workshop was built for them.
What the Research Actually Says
Dr John Gottman and Dr Julie Gottman spent over four decades studying thousands of couples to understand what actually separates relationships that thrive from those that deteriorate. What they found was not dramatic. The couples who stayed close were not the ones who never fought or never struggled. They were the ones who maintained small, consistent habits of connection — turning toward each other in ordinary moments, keeping their knowledge of each other's inner world current, and repairing ruptures before they became walls.
The couples who drifted were not bad partners. They were busy ones. They stopped doing the small things not because they stopped caring but because life filled the space and the relationship became the thing that could wait.
The Sound Relationship House — the framework Gottman's research produced — gives couples a concrete architecture for building the kind of relationship that does not just survive difficulty but genuinely thrives. That is the research this workshop draws on.
What Happens in the Room
This is not a talk. You will not sit and listen to someone present information for 2 hours. The session is built around structured couple activities — guided conversations you have not had, questions you have not asked each other recently, and a shared plan you build together in the room.
You will work with your partner throughout. Everything stays between the two of you — there is no group sharing, no going around the room, no requirement to disclose anything to other couples.
The facilitation holds the structure. You focus on each other.
By the end of the session, you will have a clearer picture of the cycle you and your partner keep falling into — named, without blame on either side. A deeper understanding of what your partner is actually reaching for underneath the conflict. And a concrete picture of what showing up differently looks like for both of you — not a vague intention, but a shared plan you both had a hand in building.
Who This Is For
Couples who are doing fine on paper — and know that fine is not the same as close. Couples who have been together long enough that the relationship has become more functional than intentional. Couples who want to invest in what they have before they need to repair it. Couples who have never sat down together and actually mapped out what they want this relationship to look and feel like.
It is also for couples where one person has been wanting to do something like this for a while and finally has something concrete to point to.
Who This Is Not For
Couples in acute crisis or navigating active infidelity. This workshop is experiential and educational — it is not a substitute for couples counselling. If you are in that season, individual couples counselling is a better first step. The workshop is designed for couples who still have enough goodwill and connection that a structured afternoon together can move something. If you are not sure which category you fall into, a free 15-minute consultation is a good place to start.
About the Facilitator
Rene Tan is a Singapore Association of Counselling registered counsellor (C1115) and the founder of Somatic Attachment Therapy. She is trained in Gottman Method Levels 1 and 2 and specialises in attachment-based counselling for individuals and couples. She works with people navigating relationship patterns, attachment wounds, and the question of how to love someone well over a long time. You can read more about her here.
The workshop came out of something she kept observing in her clinical work — that by the time most couples arrive in a therapy room, they have been struggling quietly for years. The workshop is an attempt to reach couples earlier, in a format that feels less daunting and more actionable.
The Details
Date: Saturday, 15 August 2026 Time: 3.00pm to 5.30pm Location: Outram, Singapore.
Price: SGD 180 per couple Capacity: 7 couples only
Reserve your spot on Eventbrite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Learn to Love Better? Learn to Love Better is a Gottman-informed couples workshop in Singapore for couples who want to invest in their relationship before things get harder. It runs for 2.5 hours, is capped at 7 couples, and is built around structured couple activities — not a lecture or a therapy session.
When and where is the workshop? The workshop takes place on Saturday 15 August 2026, from 3.00pm to 5.30pm, in Outram, Singapore. The exact address is shared with registered attendees upon booking.
How is this different from couples therapy? This is an educational and experiential workshop — not a clinical session. No therapy takes place. It is designed for couples who want to learn and practise specific relationship skills in a guided setting, not for couples in acute crisis or navigating active infidelity.
Do we have to share personal information with other couples? No. All activities are done between you and your partner only. There is no group sharing or requirement to disclose anything to other attendees.
What is the Gottman Method? The Gottman Method is an approach to couples therapy and relationship education developed by Dr John and Dr Julie Gottman, based on over four decades of research with more than 3,000 couples. It identifies the specific patterns that predict whether relationships thrive or deteriorate, and provides evidence-based tools for building stronger connection.
How do I book? Tickets are available on Eventbrite. The workshop is capped at 7 couples. Once full, a waiting list will be opened for future runs.
What if my partner is reluctant? That is common. The session is structured and guided — you are never put on the spot or asked to perform openness. Most reluctant partners find the format more comfortable than they expected once they are in the room.
You might also want to read
What Actually Happens in Couples Counselling in Singapore?
What Is Attachment in a Relationship?
If something in this article resonated and you are wondering whether therapy might help, you can find out more about how I work and book a free 15-minute consultation on the Services and Booking page.
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