A conversation that keeps going off the rails
We slow the discussion down, work with the pattern while it is happening, and practice a different way through it.
Couples intensive
More room for one conversation that shouldn’t be rushed.
An intensive is two 100-minute sessions in the same week, built around one conversation we have already agreed needs more time.
What makes it different
It’s still couples therapy. We just have more room to stay with the hard part.
I’ve seen the difference this format can make for couples when an important conversation keeps getting cut short.
Sometimes 50 minutes is enough. Sometimes one partner has finally said something important and the session ends before the other person has had enough time to respond.
Then both of you carry an unfinished conversation for another week. By the next appointment, it can be hard to pick up where we left off. Something else may have happened during the week, and the urgency to address that new problem can make it difficult to return to the conversation we had already begun.
The intensive gives both partners time to speak and respond. We can stay with the conversation longer, then return later that same week while it is still fresh.
Where it can help
The conversation needs to be specific.
I don’t schedule an intensive simply because things feel urgent. After the assessment, we name the conversation, make sure the format is safe, and decide whether two longer sessions are likely to help.
An atonement conversation that needs time
The longer format can give questions, accountability, and the betrayed partner’s experience more room than a standard appointment.
One part of treatment that is not moving
Sometimes therapy is moving, but one part keeps stalling. We use the extra time for that part—not every problem in the relationship.
What the week actually looks like
We decide what we are doing before we put it on the calendar.
I need to know that working together for this amount of time is appropriate and that the conversation can reasonably fit into two longer sessions.
- 01
Choose one focus
Before the first appointment, we name the conversation and what would make the time useful.
- 02
Meet for the first 100 minutes
We don’t have to rush toward a tidy ending. We stay with what happens and make sure the second session has a clear place to begin.
- 03
Return later that week
We pick up while the first session is still fresh. Before we finish, I’ll tell you what I think should happen next.
Current rates and practical details are on the FAQ & Fees page.
If the intensive interests you
New couples still begin with the couples intake.
The assessment comes first so I can decide whether an intensive fits. If we are already working together, ask me about it in session.