Why Couples Choose our Couple Intensive Retreat
In our 25 years working together as marriage and couples co-therapists, private couple intensive retreats have been at the heart of our work. Why? We have observed that clients who begin therapy intensively progress more quickly, especially when they are feeling at a crossroads.
We are currently offering both online as well as in-person Couple Intensives. You can meet with us together, as couple co-therapists, or you an work with only one of us. Our office is in downtown Ottawa provides the privacy needed to gain the most out of your couple intensive therapy sessions. In a peaceful environment, we can create a safe and secure space to begin the process of relationship repair or relationship enrichment.
Whether virtually or in-person, you might want to consider attending a private couple intensive retreat if
- you have been feeling disconnected
- your relationship is at a standstill
- you are struggling to overcome feelings of betrayal
- you have discussed divorce, you are separated, and are considering reconciliation
Attending our couple therapy retreat or online intensive will help you turn things around. As individual therapists., or as your husband-and-wife co-therapist team, we will work with you to make your relationship move in a more positive direction. You will become clearer about the principles that will guide your relationship in the future.
Leaving work and family pressures behind — as well as the time restraints associated with weekly couples counselling — you will gain new insights about yourself and your partner — and you will begin to develop a relationship that is built on safety and security, mutuality, and respect.
Please note: This private couple counselling intensive retreat is just for the two of you. It is not a workshop, so the time that you spend with us will relate directly to what is challenging you now and over the course of your relationship. Our goal is to help you become more secure-functioning as a couple. And along the way, we will help you create a clear framework for moving forward.
Who Typically Comes to a Private Couple Intensive?
We have worked successfully with both married and non-married heterosexual and same-sex couples. Many have come to us when they were:
- caught up in constant arguing
- hurt by infidelity / betrayal
- lacking emotional and physical intimacy
- feeling “out of love”
If you are having trouble communicating, if you long for more intimacy, if you want to be more united as parents, or if you dream of making a good relationship even better, our Couple Intensive will provide you with an exciting opportunity for relationship repair and enrichment.
If your relationship has been lacking emotional or physical intimacy — if you can’t stop triggering each other negatively — or if infidelity has kept you apart, this Intensive will give you the time to:
- engage in heart-to-heart talk and open dialogue
- develop active listening skills
- practise staying connected during difficult conversations
- gain greater insight into how you operate as a couple
- build self-confidence and trust in each other
- create the foundation for a more emotionally secure relationship
What Happens at a Private Couple Intensive?
During your Couple Intensive, you will meet with us for 3-4 hours each day. We do not give you homework assignments. Exploring the dynamic of your couple relationship is done in session. The remainder of the day will give you an opportunity to spend time together as actively or as quietly as you like. We will encourage you to continue the process that you have begun with us in the sessions.
Our Intensive is equal to weekly or bi-weekly couples counselling that you might attend typically over a 3-to-6 month period, but you will benefit from the intrinsic value of being together and being focused on your relationship over a few successive days. Over 3 days, the continuity that you will have from one session to another will help you feel more connected more quickly as a couple. You will begin to understand each other more deeply, learn more practical skills, and quickly gain knowledge about what will make your relationship work. You will move forward faster and you will do so as a team.
We know that you will benefit, no matter how challenging the issues that you bring us. You will have our full attention and expertise during each session, and you will be able to call or write to us for further assistance as you begin to practice all that you have learned when you leave for home.
Our Couple Intensives include…
- private couple counselling sessions (co-therapy with Louise and David, or the therapist of your choice)
- 10.5 session hours counselling over three days (midweek or weekend)
- 1.5 hour followup session (in-person or using secure videoconferencing)
Of course, we will support you beyond the completion of your retreat and followup sessions. Additional counselling is scheduled in two to three-hour time blocks, based on our hourly fee.
One or Two Therapists?
We are both licensed clinicians with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). We have been working as co-therapists 25 years. (As co-therapists, we do not meet with you separately. There are always four of us in the room.) Clients who have attended our co-therapy Intensives say that our couple-to-couple counselling approach is a particularly enriching experience for them. They benefit from the double input and easy interplay of two married therapists, with very different personalities, who have personally experienced the highs and lows that come along with any long-term relationship. Of course, you can also opt to work with only one of us.
Fees
Co-Therapy
Intensives can be virtual (using our secure videoconference platform) or in person at our Ottawa, Ontario office. The fee for a “couple-to-couple” online or in-person Couple Therapy Intensive is $6,000 CAD. This includes 10.5 hours counselling over 3 days, followed by a 1.5 hour on-site or videoconference session within the next 3-4 weeks (12 hours in all).
Our Mexico Couple Intensive Retreats are usually held over 3 days (3-4 hours a day, 12 hours total, including a virtual follow up). Mexico Retreat fees vary from year to year depending on the office location we choose, the costs of vacationing high season, and the foreign exchange at that time. This winter, we will offer the same fee as we do online: $6,000 for co-therapy, or $3,000 for one therapist. February might be an exception, as it is the busiest time in Ajijic (there is a wonderful Canadian-led jazz/classical musical festival there), and accommodation for our clients goes quickly. We will be able to advise you of that fee difference if you choose to schedule your retreat in February.
One Therapist
If you choose to work with either one of us alone, our online Intensive or in-person Couple Retreat fee in Ottawa is $3,000. This includes 10.5 hours counselling with one therapist over 3 days, followed by a 1.5 hour on-site or videoconference session within the next 3-4 weeks (12 hours in all).
Please Note: On June 20, 2024, Bill C-59 received Royal Assent by the Government of Canada — which means that you will no longer be charged GST/HST for our services.
Payment Plans
Payment options include a deposit, followed by one to three monthly payments, depending on the amount of time between scheduling and attending your Intensive. The final payment is on the last day of your 3-day virtual or in-person sessions.
Just a reminder — Accommodations and travel arrangements for all in-person Intensives are not included in our counselling fee.
Insurance Coverage
If your company has an Employee Assistance, or an Extended Healthcare plan, you may be covered for services provided by Psychologists, Psychotherapists or Registered Social Workers. We are licensed clinicians with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Please check with your provider to see if our services are covered by your plan.
Psychotherapy services provided by Registered Psychotherapists are also recognized as a Medical Expense by The Canada Revenue Agency, and can be submitted for tax credits. See the the CRA website for more.
No Insurance Coverage?
If you do not have Insurance coverage, we will discuss fees with you based on our sliding scale. Please let us know when we meet for your complimentary introductory video call.
Scheduling your Intensive Counselling Retreat
During a complimentary 30-40 minute video call, will talk about your expectations, address your immediate concerns, and outline the benefits of intensive counselling with one or two therapists over three days. At this time we will discuss payment plans and our availability. If you are interested in proceeding with an Intensive, we will look at open dates on our calendar that may work for you.
Intensive Retreats are scheduled based on our availability at the time you call. If you are able to come midweek, we may have more flexibility, as the weekends tend to fill up more quickly.
Accommodations
Ottawa
If you are travelling from out-of-town to our Ottawa office, you will be responsible for arranging your own accommodations (minimum two nights). In the Client Info section of this website, you will find information about Accommodations and links to Ottawa Attractions.
Off-site locations
When we meet outside of Ottawa — in Toronto, Kingston or Montreal — we typically book a hotel suite for our sessions, and our Intensive Counselling Retreat fee is adjusted accordingly. These Intensives must be planned well in advance so that they don’t interrupt our Ottawa schedule.
See our events calendar soon for recommended Accommodations for Couple Intensive Retreats in Ajijic, Mexico.
For More Information about an In-Person Retreat or Video-based Intensive
Call 877-897-2333 ext 1 (David) ext 2 (Louise), or click on the button below to send us an email: