Couples Intensives
Couples' intensive sessions are designed to help couples address significant issues in their relationship more quickly than traditional weekly therapy. An intensive involves deep, one-on-one work with Chelsea.
The goal of an intensive is unique to each couple, but it is often to help couples resolve conflicts, improve communication, rebuild trust, and deepen their connection. The setting is quiet, private, and intimate, allowing couples to work without distractions. The format typically includes a mix of individual therapy, joint counseling sessions, and structured activities aimed at increasing intimacy, understanding, and commitment.
Couples find that Chelsea’s respectful approach fosters a sense of safety and trust during the couples therapy intensive. Chelsea will seek to understand your story, dig beneath the surface to uncover dynamics that interfere with having a healthy relationship, clarify your goals, and empower you to move forward with clarity, confidence, and connection.
A space for healing and hope
One-Day Couples Intensive
A private intensive designed to accomplish months of couples therapy work in one day.
This immersive experience is designed for couples who are ready to make meaningful change. It’s ideal for those feeling stuck, experiencing ongoing pain or navigating a crisis. Together, we’ll take a deep dive into your relationship story and the challenges you’re facing.
This extended, focused time allows couples to gain clarity, reset your nervous systems and practice new ways of interacting, in real time.
This option includes:
Pre-intensive assessment
- An extensive individual questionnaire to be completed by each partner individually
- 50-minute Individual session with Partner #1
- 50-minute Individual session with Partner #2
*The individual sessions ideally are done the week prior.
Day of Intensive Schedule: 9am - 3pm or 10am - 4pm
5 hours of guided intensive couples work
1 hour break for lunch
Personalized action plan
Communication and conflict resolution tools that were used during the intensive
Investment: $2500
A 50% non refundable deposit will be required to confirm your Intensive reservation, and the remaining 50% will be charged on the day of the Intensive.
An Intensive is the next best step when…
1. You need a higher level of care than weekly counseling can provide: Sometimes the pain and difficulty of your circumstances are far greater than what can be addressed in an hour a week in counseling sessions. Especially when your emotional well-being or relationship is on the line. Whether it’s a betrayal, ongoing arguments, or years of distance, intensives are a wonderful option for couples who want things to improve faster than traditional therapy.
2. You feel stuck and don't know the actual root, so you can't move forward: Have you been in weekly couples counseling for months or years, and you still feel confused about what’s wrong? Maybe you’ve talked through a lot of issues, but don’t feel like you’ve gotten to the bottom of the problem or clarified the core issue. At best, this is frustrating, and at worst, it can fuel hopelessness. This is when people begin to feel that healing or change is not possible. The truth is, we need to understand the real problem before we can heal from it, and sometimes we need extended sessions and time away in a safe environment for real change to happen.
3. You need freedom from the distractions of daily life and responsibilities:Whether it’s a challenging work schedule, parenting, or other relationships, the demands of life often make therapeutic work exhausting, if not impossible. Incorporating regular counseling into your life and schedule might not be feasible right now. Even if you can get to a session, processing may feel too overwhelming when life is still right there afterwards. When you attend an intensive, you get to pull away from the normal distractions and responsibilities of daily life and have space for deeper work and reflections.
4. You have a leadership or public role and need a private, confidential space:You can step away from who you are publicly and address your issues without shame, judgment, or needing to be there for others. Often, leaders, pastors, and public figures attend intensives to find the confidentiality they need to do the work of healing.
5. You want to jumpstart counseling or accelerate the work you are already doing: If you’re just beginning couples counseling, an intensive allows you to jumpstart the process by building a foundation that could otherwise take 6-9 months. If you’re actively working with a therapist and motivated to make changes, an intensive can provide concentrated support and focused time to dig deep and accelerate the work you are already doing.
Intensive FAQs
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In-person intensives are held in Brighton, Michigan.
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Couples intensives provide several hours of focused therapy in a short period of time, allowing for deeper work and faster progress. Because the therapist dedicates most or all of a day to working with a single couple, the service requires significantly more time, specialized expertise, and personalized support than traditional weekly counseling sessions.
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It depends on your situation, but in general, yes. Studies have shown that couples who choose couples therapy intensives over traditional sessions experience more powerful change that lasts longer with less relapse.
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In most cases, I can start an intensive in less than two weeks from the time a couple initially contacts us. Sometimes, in just a few days!
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This is a personal question. That being said, traditional, weekly couples therapy will cost around $150-$250 a session. This can total around $4,800-$9,600 over the course of the year.
Comparatively, our intensive is more affordable, and you can get immediate results instead of lingering in pain week after week.
Another way to look at it is to ask how much your relationship is worth to you. How much is the pain of what you’re going through right now costing you? Compare the investment for an intensive to the $15,000-$20,000 average cost of divorce in the US. And that doesn’t begin to factor in the other emotional pain of a deteriorating relationship.
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To help you maintain and build on the work you’ve done, I almost always recommend continued individual or couples therapy. I often find, however, that the intensive itself provides the couple with what they need to move forward and build a better future for themselves.
“My partner and I were at an all-time low in our marriage, ready to give up after 14 years together. Chelsea helped us rediscover what we loved about each other and guided us through some incredibly tough pain points. She created a safe, judgment-free space where we could express ourselves and be vulnerable, which allowed the healing process to begin. Thanks to Chelsea, we’re now working toward a stronger, more connected relationship and rebuilding our friendship. We are forever grateful for her support and expertise!”
Intensive Client Review
Give the gift of hope.
If you have a friend or family that is struggling, consider giving them the gift of a marriage intensive. Please reach out if this is something you are interested in.