Why Couples Choose our Couple Intensives
In our 27 years working together as marriage and couples therapists, private couple intensives 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 and in-person Couple Intensives. You can meet with one of us, or with both of us as couple co-therapists. Our office is in downtown Ottawa and provides the comfort needed to gain the most out of your couple intensive therapy sessions. There, we can create a safe and secure space to begin the process of relationship repair and relationship enrichment.
Whether virtually or in-person, you might want to consider attending a private couple intensive 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 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 couples therapy intensive is just for the two of you. It is not a workshop. 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 in doing so, 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 deeper 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, we will meet 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 Couple Intensive is equal to weekly or bi-weekly couples therapy 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:
- a private Couple Intensive (co-therapy with Louise and David, or with the therapist of your choice)
- 10.5 session hours counselling over three days (midweek or weekend)
- 1.5-hour follow-up session (in-person or using secure videoconferencing)
Of course, we will support you beyond the completion of your Intensive and follow-up sessions. Additional couple therapy sessions are scheduled in two-to three-hour time blocks, based on our hourly fee.
One or Two Therapists?
We have been working as co-therapists for over 27 years. Our Couples Intensives are most often conducted by either David Rubinstein, MA, RP or Louise Dorfman, MA, RP. We are both licensed clinicians with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). You can arrange to work with the therapist of your choice, or choose both of us as your couple co-therapists. In either format, we work with both of you in the room, not individually.
Couple clients who have attended our co-therapy Intensives say that our couple-to-couple therapy approach is a particularly enriching experience. They benefit from our combined depth of education and expertise as couples therapists, as well as from our input and easy interplay as co-therapists and married partners. We understand the challenges of supporting each other throughout a long-term relationship. We have also had the benefit of testing and applying our couples therapy approach firsthand within our own relationship.
Fees
Co-Therapy (Two Therapists)
Intensives can be virtual (using our secure videoconference platform) or in person at our Ottawa, Ontario office. The fee for an online or in-person co-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 take place over 3 days (3-4 hours a day, 12 hours total, including a virtual follow-up). Our basic fee for a Mexico Intrensive Retreat is the same as our virtual or Canadian in-person fee: $6,000 for co-therapy, or $3,000 for one therapist. But additional fees may vary from year to year depending on the office location we choose, the costs of vacationing during high season, and the foreign exchange at that time. February 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 or some other time.
One Therapist
If you choose to work with either one of us alone, our online or in-person Couple Intensive fee in Ottawa is $3,000. This includes 10.5 hours of 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).
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.
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.
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 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 Canadian 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 Couple Intensive
During a complimentary 30-40 minute video call, we will talk about your expectations, address your immediate concerns, and outline the benefits of attending a Couple Intensive 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.
Couple Intensives 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.
See our events calendar for recommended Accommodations for Couple Intensive Retreats in Ajijic, Mexico.
For More Information about our Couple Intensives
Call 877-897-2333 or click on the button below to send us an email: