What are Couples Counseling Intensives and Retreats
Intensive Couples Therapy, or Marathon therapy, is a condensed and powerful way for many couples to come together to see fast results. Like all of the services at Couples Counseling of Central Florida, marathon therapy is a way for you to invest in or level-up your relationship in less time than months of weekly sessions with a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Whether you have a solid relationship and want a check-up, or are looking for significant change faster than weekly sessions, you are in the right place. Intensive Couples Therapy sessions are based on your needs, and are 1-3 days or 6-18 hours of therapy. Intensives are tailored to your needs!
-
Progress may come more quickly.
You won’t run out of time as quickly as you do in a regular 55-minute couples therapy session.
It’s a great way to prepare for marriage and start off on the right foot if you’re engaged or newly married.
If you’re in extreme distress it can cost a lot less than divorce. $1,050-$4,200 for marathon therapy compared to $14,000 for an average divorce (lawyers.com).
-
Have a busy schedule that doesn’t allow you to come to therapy on a regular basis
Live far away, would be traveling a good distance, or will be in the area
Are looking for something clinical and practical
Are interested in pre-marital counseling
Experience extreme stress in your relationship and want quicker results
Have tried self-help books, different therapists, or other options and are still looking for answers
-
If there is active alcohol and/or drug addiction on the part of either or both partners
If there is serious violence in your relationship, threats by one or both partners that serious violence might occur, or fear of such serious violence on the part of one or both partners
If either partner currently has an untreated major mental illness. (Does not include past successfully treated illnesses).
If there is an undisclosed or secretive affair currently going on that you are unwilling to disclose.
Instead, please call the office to ask what services would be appropriate
+ STEP 1: PREPARATION
Before you even walk in the door you’ll have already made progress. You’ll both get an online questionnaire that may take 90 minutes to fill out about your views on the relationship.
The nice thing is that because it’s electronic you can either fill it all at once or save as you go. Keep in mind all of your answers are private and your partner will not see them.
You fill them out, I run them through specialized software, and come out on the other side with significant information for our work together.
+ STEP 2: THE INTERVIEWS
The first 90 minutes we see each other will be all three of us in the room together. That’s when I’ll gain further information from both of you about your goals, the issues, and your story.
The next 90 minutes are one-on-one interviews with each partner to dive deeper with both partners. I find that people like this part in order to share their side of things and their story.
+ STEP 3: THE ANALYSIS.
Enjoy an hour lunch-break as a couple. By this time we’ll have gone through a lot, and you deserve to spend time with your partner to unwind and recharge for the next step.
As you enjoy lunch, I’ll be analyzing all of the data I’ve just collected from your online questionnaires, couple interview, and individual interviews to create your custom and personalized treatment plan.
+ STEP 4: THE ROAD MAP.
After lunch we’ll spend about 30 minutes going over the treatment plan created for your relationship. This will serve as a road map for not only the areas we need to work on, but how we’re going to do that.
Of course, this is your relationship and a collaborative process so you’ll be able to add or change things to make sure we’re fulfilling all of your needs.
+ STEP 5: THE TOOLS & STRATEGIES.
After we have your treatment plan in place, we’re spending the next 2.5-16.5 hours (depending on the plan you choose) diving into the issues and conversations that we need to.
We’re addressing key issues, learning new tools and strategies, and setting you up for on-going success at home.
+ STEP 6: THE CHECK-UPS.
Like your car, your health, or anything you want to take care of, maintenance is key. At the end of any marathon, you as a couple, and I, will have a great sense of what you’ll need moving forward.
Whether that’s any need for follow-ups, extra support, or checking-in down the road.
Intensive Marriage Therapy FAQs
+ HOW CAN WE EXPECT TO SPEND OUR TIME DURING AN INTENSIVE?
I will use the information gained from your one on one sessions and through your deep-dive relationship assessment to develop a plan for the Intensive. I will develop personalized goals and objectives for the Intensive that I will then share with you to ensure you are all on the same page.
Time during the intensive will be spent developing tools and strategies to help you descalate conflict, improve your communication skills, increase awareness of destructive communication patterns, increase emotional and sexual intimacy, and develop and improve rituals of connection.
Using traditional talk therapy, your therapist will also spend time helping you work through past resentments, increase the sense of safety in your relationship, and grow your friendship with each other.
+ IT IS A LOT OF EFFORT TO TAKE TIME OFF WORK, COVER CHILD CARE, ETC. WHY DO WE NEED SO MUCH TIME DURING AN INTENSIVE TO MAKE CHANGES?
A concentrated amount of time is what makes the intensive different.
By spending 8-12 hours together, I can help you zero in on issues and roadblocks much faster. You get to know me and I get to know you in a much different way than weekly therapy. I am able to focus solely on you, without the distraction a normal day of therapy brings.
Often during traditional weekly therapy, issues may arise between sessions that prove to be distracting to the good progress you may have been making. The Intensive decrease the chance for distration. You can focus in on the hour by hour and day to day progress.
The time spend in an intensive also gives you a more hopeful picture going forward. Stacking several hours of therapy together over a short amount of time allows you to clearly see how much progress you’ve made. As you leave the intensive, you can clearly remember where you were in your relationship was when you started, and how different it is at the end.
+ THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY FOR JUST A FEW DAYS, IS IT WORTH IT?
You're right, it is a lot of money!
But you would also spend a lot of money over the course of traditional weekly therapy since it will take longer to see change. You would end up spending more time and money in the long run.
Follow up is cheaper too! Most intensive therapy clients follow up less than 3x per quarter compared to weekly therapy where that number may be closer to 6-8 times per quarter.
And, of course, it is way cheaper than a separation or divorce.
It is an investment in your relationship and your relationship is worth that investment.
+ WEEKLY COUPLES THERAPY ALREADY FELT INTENSE AND DIFFICULT. WOULDN'T DAYS OF THIS BE TOO OVERWHELMING?
It can sound overwhelming to consider an intensive. However, I work hard to structure variety into the intensive. At times it is more traditional therapy oriented where you are sharing with me and with each other. At other times you are simply listening to me explain a concept or skill. There are also exercises to complete. Some you complete individually and some as a couple.
While this combination of talk therapy, teaching, and exercises is effective, it also helps you to not feel so overwhelmed during the intensive. In fact, most of our couples are surprised at how fast the time goes.
I also work hard to make sure you feel safe and comfortable throughout our time together. I will build in breaks, go at your pace, and overall strive to create an atmosphere where you feel confident as you work on your relationship.
+ WHEN CAN I SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT?
Intensives are conducted Monday through Friday. If you are looking for Friday through Sunday, this can be at times accommodated for an additional fee.
