"To make a relationship last, couples must: become better friends, learn to manage conflict, and create ways to support each other's hopes and dreams."

A couples therapy intensive is very similar to couples therapy in the way the work is done. I am assessing the issue/issues and helping you both break unhelpful patterns. However, couples therapy intensives are meant to jumpstart the couples therapy in a quick manner. 

Couples therapy intensives include 2 (almost) full days of working and focusing only on your relationship. Whereas regular couples therapy would include weekly or biweekly sessions, couples therapy intensives include multiple sessions in a row (across the span of one or two days) to start to examine and break through walls in the relationship. 

Though some may be interested in this as a stand-alone service, I will usually present this as an introduction to regular couples therapy. This intensive introduction to the couples therapy can be a great way to lay the foundation for lasting change in weekly couples therapy sessions afterwards. 

- The couples therapy intensives would usually take place across the span of 1 or 2 days, usually taking place on a weekend. Though, some weekdays may be available for the one-day intensives. 

- BEFORE we start (on a separate day),  we would meet for an intake appointment (lasting 2 hours) to assess the relationship and determine if a couples therapy intensive is a good fit for you. During this appointment, I would also help you prepare for the upcoming work. 

- During the intensives, I would first meet with each partner individually to gain some helpful background. Who we are as individuals always shows up in our relationships. So, these 1:1 meetings are incredibly helpful, as they provide valuable information about how your inner parts may be impacting the relationship. 

- Then, together, we would identify 1-2 unhelpful patterns in the relationship that we can start to explore and change. While there may be more patterns to explore, we must be realistic with our goals for these couples therapy intensives and match our goals with the amount of time we have to work with. 

- After identifying at least one pattern, I would step in to provide you with knowledge and help you work through some of the issues that may be arising as a result of this unhelpful patterns. 

In my work with couples, I have seen how life can sometimes get in the way of weekly  couples therapy. And, unfortunately, it's very hard to gain the traction needed for couples therapy, when there are large gaps between each session in the beginning. Couples therapy intensives can give that needed jumpstart to regular couples therapy afterwards. 

Something else that I've noticed is that, most couples, do not start couples therapy until there is a large list of issues in the relationship. Many times, there is an urge to start to explore (or, at least, identify) these issues as soon as couples therapy starts. But, with weekly or biweekly sessions, it is hard to do so because time is limited and we cannot rush the process. With these couples therapy intensives, we are not rushing through things, but are simply providing more time to start to explore the issues and identify unhelpful patterns in the relationship. 

Sometimes, couples give up on therapy before the work even starts. It can seem really hopeless to start to identify issues in the beginning few sessions then have to sit with these issues with no kind of relief. Couples therapy intensives can provide you with some hope for the relationship, which is very necessary as we start to delve into the deeper work in our weekly couples therapy sessions. 

These couples therapy intensives are NOT a magic cure. Most likely, you will not leave them feeling like you no longer need couples therapy. However, they can provide you with the strength and hope that is needed to come together and do the work needed to save your relationship. 

This service is usually not covered by insurance, and I do not provide out-of-network superbills for this service. 

This unique service is not a good fit for anyone who is looking for a "quick fix." - You will leave these sessions with knowledge and help for the issues you present with. However, if you are looking to make a very big decision, such as deciding whether or not to get a divorce, this service is not structured to help with that. 

• Intake - $480. This is a 2-hour intake appointment which takes place before the intensive days start. 
• 1-day intensive - $2,500. 6 to 7 session hours (not including breaks).
• 2-day intensive - $4,500. 12 session hours total over 2 days (not including breaks).