Intensive Couples Therapy
I Believe In Couples
The Giant Therapist believes in the beauty and power of a committed, monogamous relationship. Derek Colvin, LPC offers Intensive Couples Therapy to help you and your partner jumpstart your journey toward a deeper, more committed relationship.
What is Intensive Couples Therapy?
Intensive Couples Therapy is a short-term and intensive form of Couples Therapy. Intensives involve 2 - 5 consecutive days of intensive therapy, up to 8 hours daily. Each Intensive is customized specifically to the needs of your relationship. An Intensive is equivalent to 6 - 15 months of therapy packed into a few days.
How it works...
We will begin the first day of the intensive by completing a full relationship assessment with you, which will take about five hours. This assessment is an irreplaceable tool for providing you and me essential insight into your relationship strengths and areas of greatest need. This allows us to work together to tailor the intensive therapy to your relationship's needs and goals. The next 2 - 4 days are spent repairing and rebuilding your relationship.
What to know...
It is important to understand the purpose of Intensive Therapy. This format moves you and your partner more quickly and intensely into and through areas of struggle in your relationship. You and your partner may experience moderate to extreme feelings of sadness, guilt, anxiety, hurt, betrayal, loneliness, and helplessness. Your therapy will likely involve recalling unpleasant and painful experiences from your relationship and individual history. This experience is normal. It is also needed to repair and rebuild your relationship.
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The Gottman Method uses a Sound Relationship House as a representation of what a successful relationship consists of. In the same way, I call past hurtful experiences that have not been repaired "boxes in the attic." Most couples worry about opening these boxes and working through the pain of those experiences. During an Intensive we will process through the memories and pain that has been trapped in these boxes. The benefit of working through these boxes is it creates emotional capacity and space to implement the needed changes to improve your relationship.
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After completing an Intensive, most couples find more freedom and deep connection. They also choose to continue weekly couples therapy. Couples find that with newly created capacity and connection from the Intensive, they can work and implement changes in their relationship. In cases where you and your partner may have traveled for the Intensive, I can help coordinate continued therapy with a therapist in your area.
Planning an Intensive
1
Make a Decision
The most important step is to decide to do the Intensive. It's not easy to admit that your relationship may be in a place that may need Intensive work. The first step to change is deciding to get the help to change. Schedule a consultation call to see if an Intensive is right for your relationship.
2
Choose Location
It's time to decide when and where you want to do the Intensive. You can choose to come to my office, meet in your home, or at a destination of your choosing anywhere in the world*. Choose a location that will allow you all to spend time together during the evenings of the Intensive.
*There is an additional cost for Intensives held outside of the OKC Metro area.
Pricing
The cost of an Intensive is an investment in your relationship. The cost can be compared to 6 - 15 months of therapy and includes the assessments you will complete on Day 1. For an additional cost, you can get the Gottman Relationship Builder to help continue improving your relationship after the Intensive.
2-Day Intensive
Relationship Builder
A two-day Intensive includes one day of assessment and one day of relationship building. This option is appropriate for couples seeking preventative care, couples with a solid relationship that has some minor issues to work out, and couples interested in premarital preparation. Includes 12 - 16 hours of guidance and therapy with me.
Investment:
$2,800*
3-Day Intensive
Relationship Repair
A three-day Intensive is ideal for couples seeking multiple minor repairs to one or two major repairs in their relationship. It is designed to help couples find connection, deepen intimacy, and experience a new way of working through conflict in their relationship. This option includes one day of assessment and two days of therapy.
Investment:
$4,500*
4 or 5-Day intensive
Relationship Healing
A four or five-day Intensive is for couples who have been struggling for an extended period, have little to no intimacy in their relationship, and/or have experienced one or multiple betrayals. This is ideal for those considering separation, or for those who have filed for divorce, and want to reconcile. This includes one day of assessment plus 3 - 4 days of therapy and relationship rebuilding.
Investment:
$6,000 - $7,500*
*For Intensives located outside of the OKC Metro area there will be additional costs such as travel not included in the pricing above
“I was leery that we would have enough to talk about for two days but we loved our intensive and felt the time flew by. We had a great experience.”
Exceptions to be aware of...
Intensive Couples Therapy, as with couples’ therapy in general, has limitations and may be unadvisable in the following situations. These issues are:
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If there is active alcohol and/or drug addiction on the part of either or both partners, from either partner’s perspective.
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If there is serious violence in your relationship, threats by one or both partners that serious violence might occur, or fear of such serious violence on the part of one or both partners.
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If either partner currently has an untreated major mental illness (schizophrenia, recurrent psychotic depression, or bipolar/manic-depressive illness.) This does not include past, successfully treated psychotic episodes (e.g. post-partum depression with psychosis).
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If there is an undisclosed, current affair that you are not willing to disclose (such secrets predict marital therapy failure)
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If either partner is currently experiencing suicidal or homicidal thoughts or has a history of serious harm inflicted on him/herself or another person
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Should you have any questions regarding these issues, please contact me to clarify whether an Intensive suits your situation.