“Working with Nancy during our two-day plus intensive injected energy and hope back into our relationship. We now have a new awareness of how to recognize and address issues as they arise, and how to untangle ourselves when we get knotted up as a couple. We are so grateful to have found you, Nancy!” R & A
“We’d been married for 30 years and reached a point where we grated on each other every day. Frustration, anger, resentment, alienation. We made each other unhappy and had no idea how to fix it, despite trying many times over many years. Another counselor recommended an intensive three-day session with Nancy, which we arranged, essentially as one final try before giving up entirely. Those three days changed our outlook completely. Nancy helped us remember why we loved each other. She coached us on how to break through the walls we’d built, to see and understand each other’s perspectives, to be more caring toward each other, to get past the negatives and focus on the positives. Now we’re almost a year into what we call Version 2.0 of our marriage, and it’s going great.Thanks so much!” R & M
Sometimes there is just no time to waste. For couples in crisis or couples just wanting to get down to work in a concentrated time frame, we offer intensive couples therapy. Using Emotionally Focused Therapy as a template for understanding the ways couples get stuck, we move from assessing what has gone wrong to experiencing new ways of relating that restore connection and instill hope.
Depending on your time availability, the issues you are dealing with, and your financial resources, you may opt to do anywhere from a one-day-plus (7.5hr) to a two-day-plus intensive. All one-day-plus intensives are offered on select Thursdays or Fridays with the first 90min session the evening before.
Couples intensives are currently offered in-person.
Please contact us for availability below.
Sample schedule for the one-day-plus intensive:
- Introductory Couples Session: Wednesday or Thursday Evening 7:30-9pm
- Full Day: Thursday or Friday
- 9:30am-12pm Two 75 min Individual Sessions
- 12-1:30pm Lunch
- 1:30-5pm Couples Therapy Follow-Up Session
Sample schedule for the two-day-plus intensive:
- Introductory Couples Session: Wednesday Evening 7:30-9pm
- First Full Day: Thursday
- 9:30am-12pm Two 75 min Individual Sessions
- 12-1:30pm Lunch
- 1:30-4:30 or 5pm Couples Follow-Up Session
- Second Full Day: Friday
- 9:30am-12pm Couples Session
- 1:30-4:30pm Final Couples Session
- Follow-Up Session 4-6 weeks later, 60min scheduled at couple’s convenience in person or via teleconference (this time can alternatively be used to follow up with an ongoing couple therapist)
What would we hope to accomplish in this accelerated time frame?
The right length couple intensive can be determined according to your availability, financial resources, and level of urgency. Keep in mind that most couples therapy is conducted for approximately an hour a week, so even a one day retreat offers a way to get through what would otherwise take a month or two. A two-day plus retreat gives us time to really dive in deeply to the heart of the matter, infusing new hope and possibilities by the end.
The first 90min session is your opportunity to talk about your relationship, both the ways you feel stuck now in the present as well each of your views about what brought you together. As you tell your story and share the pain of what has gone wrong, we will be tracking the relational dance between you and referencing what we now know as the science of love relationships to help you make sense of your experience.
We follow this initial meeting the following morning with two 75min individual sessions so that we can learn a little about each of your histories and get a sense of your individual concerns about the relationship.
The remainder of day one, we come together to really dig into the first stage of treatment, the de-escalation of the conflict cycle. What this means is that we try to understand the relationship pattern that continues to undermine your connection, specifically by exploring what emotions are driving the behaviors that pull you apart.
If we have the next day to continue our work, we will take steps towards finding new ways to strengthen the bond between you by expressing the fears that get in the way, and voicing each of your needs with a newly emerging vulnerability.
A couple therapy intensive offers a way to jump in and really get a sense of what can be done to change the course of a relationship that seems to be in trouble.
It is often advisable to follow up your intensive experience with ongoing couples therapy, as there is a need to integrate the learning and skills over time. If you are coming from a distance and cannot find a skilled therapist in your home location, we will discuss options as we wrap up our time together.
How do we know if this approach is right for us?
A pre-screening interview on Zoom with both members of the couple is conducted prior to making the commitment or paying a deposit. If we decide to move forward, a contract is sent out to be signed, followed by an extensive intake packet to be submitted the week before the initial meeting so that your therapist is already familiar with the particular strengths and weaknesses of your relationship.
What are the fees and how is the payment made?
The cost for a 7.5hr one-day-plus intensive is $2,300, while the cost for the two-day-plus intensive is $4,000. Payments can be made by check or credit card. A deposit of 50% is required to hold the date with the balance due the day prior to meeting. Fees will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.