Couples Counseling Intensives / Private Couples Retreats
Transform Your Relationship in One Powerful Weekend with a Couples Counseling Intensive
A Couples Counseling Intensive—sometimes called a private couples retreat—is the fastest, most effective way to create real and lasting change in your relationship. Intensives offer the equivalent of three to twelve months of weekly couples therapy in just a few days, helping partners break painful patterns, reconnect emotionally and sexually, and finally feel understood.
If you’re ready for a focused, immersive experience with highly trained, certified couples therapists as well as certification in sex therapy offering expert, experienced guidance, a Couples Intensive may be exactly what your relationship needs.
What Is a Couples Counseling Intensive?
A Couples Intensive is a privately scheduled, customized therapeutic retreat—one to three days of accelerated couples therapy tailored to your relationship’s needs.
Couples come to us when they’re stuck in a cycle that feels impossible to escape:
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One partner withdraws, shuts down, or tries to “keep the peace.”
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The other partner pursues, criticizes, or pushes for more closeness.
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Both feel misunderstood, alone, and scared of losing each other.
A Couples Intensive helps you break this pattern quickly, get to the emotional heart of the problem, and learn how to stay connected—even when you disagree.
We welcome both local couples and those traveling in for a retreat. Sessions are typically scheduled over a weekend for ease and privacy.
Is a Couples Intensive Right for You?
Choose an intensive if you:
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Want to dramatically improve emotional intimacy in a short amount of time
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Are ready for fast results and willing to engage deeply for long-term gains
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Need a sex therapy intensive to revive your sexual connection
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Want expert help navigating conflict, communication, or emotional distance
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Feel stuck in a pursue/withdraw cycle and can’t break free on your own
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Are recovering from an affair or betrayal and need structured, steady guidance
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Feel like weekly therapy isn’t enough or hasn’t helped you get where you need to be
What Couples Work On During an Intensive
Every retreat is customized, but most couples come to:
Rebuild Emotional Connection
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Learn how to truly hear each other
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Understand each partner’s deeper needs and fears
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Shift from reactivity to vulnerability and responsiveness
Strengthen Sexual Intimacy
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Discuss desire differences and fantasies safely
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Learn new sexual communication skills
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Address blocks, gridlock, or sexual avoidance
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Receive tailored sex therapy interventions
Resolve Long-standing Pain Points
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Heal past relationship injuries
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Process resentment, trauma, or major life stress
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Increase trust and restore safety
Recover After Infidelity
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Affair recovery intensives help couples stabilize after discovery, understand what happened, and begin rebuilding closeness and commitment.
What to Expect in a Couples Intensive
Expect therapy that is gentle but direct, structured yet warm, and deeply attuned to both partners.
Our expert EFT couples therapists help you:
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See your negative cycle clearly
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Understand how your protective moves trigger each other
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Learn new, vulnerable ways of reaching
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Practice safe, guided conversations that create connection
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Build emotional and sexual safety so intimacy can grow
Couples often tell us their intensive gave them the insights and closeness equivalent to a year of therapy in one weekend.
Pre-Intensive Assessment
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A 60-minute phone or video session
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Determines readiness and helps tailor your retreat to your needs
Pre-Retreat Preparation
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Completion of our in-depth relationship questionnaires
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Allows your therapist to understand your story before you arrive
Scheduling & Payment
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Non-refundable prepayment of 13 hours at booking
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If we need to cancel, you will receive a full refund
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Intensives can be 1–3 days, including 12–16 hours of therapy
In-person intensives are preferred; virtual options may be available in special situations.
Sample 3-Day Couples Intensive Itinerary
Consultation (Before Your Retreat)
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Clarify your goals and needs
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Review current relationship functioning
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Map your emotional and sexual cycle using Emotionally Focused Therapy
Day 1
Deep Dive into Your Relationship Pattern
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Identify your pursue/withdraw cycle
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Explore family-of-origin influences
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Optional individual breakout sessions
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Begin understanding sexual gridlock or emotional blocks
Day 2 — 1:30 PM–5:00 PM
Communication, Vulnerability & Sexual Connection
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Identify protective strategies that keep you stuck
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Learn new ways of reaching for each other
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Practice vulnerable communication with therapist support
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Begin sexual communication and tailored sex therapy exercises
Day 3 — 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Integration, Healing & Hope
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Review progress and the previous day’s assignments
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Address ongoing stressors affecting the relationship
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Deep processing of sexual concerns
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Work through one trauma or relational injury
We provide hotel and restaurant recommendations for couples traveling to Raleigh for their retreat.
If you have questions or would like to schedule, call (919) 845-5400 and ask about Weekend Couples Intensives.
Special Option: Decision Intensives
For couples on the brink of divorce or unsure whether to stay together, we offer Decision Intensives—a structured, compassionate process to gain clarity, reduce fear, and make a grounded decision about the future of the relationship.
