Intensive Couples Therapy  

Intensive couples sessions are designed to allow for a couple who has limited time, or has been frustrated with traditional weekly models of therapy, and is ideal for people who want to put aside all of life’s distractions to prioritize their relationship wellness in concentrated fashion. This model is also appropriate for couples who are recovering from a crisis point within their relationship, or to address long standing patterns of difficulty. 

We offer three "standard" options for intensive session.  The schedule can be tailored to your needs and availability, and we will attempt to coordinate schedules conducive to the hours needed for the intensive work. Difficulties that are commonly improved by Gottman-informed interventions in an intensive format are:​

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• Recovering from an affair

• Improving conflict resolution skills

• Increasing romance and intimacy

• Re-building trust after a disruption

• Renegotiating relationship expectations and structure after developmental or situationally-influenced contexts

• Creating emotional momentum that will expedite therapy goals being attained

• Addressing negative sexual and relational narratives that are contributing to a less-than-optimal relationship

• Exploring the impact of unmet attachment needs and family-of-origin messaging and modeling that has lead to unhealthy patterns and interactions 

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All too often, couples take a while to agree to initiate couples therapy.  They research to find a therapist they think is a good fit, and often experience a degree of anxiety as they anticipate the date and time of the first session. They arrive 10 minutes early, fill out paper work, and finally find themselves sitting on a couch face-to-face with the therapist.

 

The next 50 minutes fly by quickly!  Confidentiality is discussed, logistical questions are answered, and the discussion moves to the goals that the couple has to achieve.  The first session typically is not enough time for the therapist to complete a comprehensive assessment, or to be able to start giving direction or homework.  The couple will wait another week to pick up where they left off, which can be frustrating.  This week to week hour can often be consumed by what happened in the week prior and less on the repeated patterns and perpetual difficulties.  At times, problems can worsen during this initial time period, and couples get frustrated and wonder if therapy can help them.

At the Ohio Center for Relationship & Sexual Health, our goal in offering intensive couples sessions (sometimes called Marathon Sessions) as springboard for change, and a way to alleviate the frustration of having the initial change moment spread over months, and to work towards change within the short but intense time-frame. 

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In a full day, a couple can complete the entire assessment process (sometimes including conjoint and individual sessions), have a better understanding of their relationship dynamics and repeated patterns, and go home with concrete tools to use and practice. 

 

Each couple's intensive session is tailored to the specific needs of each couple. This begins with an initial 1.5 hr. consult with  Dr. Ashley prior to your intensive day to identify relationship dynamics and to establish goals that will help create a successful plan for the couple's day and in collaboration with their goals and objectives. 

​Depending on the particular needs of your situation, subsequent marathon sessions can be scheduled, or you can transition to traditional weekly or bi-weekly coaching. 

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To determine cost, it will be Initial Appointment + 2 couples sessions + intensive option and respective number if hours added.