A powerful alternative to traditional weekly marriage therapy is a marriage retreat. For couples in crisis, a Couples Counseling Retreat can offer an intensive and highly effective start to a sustainable healing journey. At a retreat, you will work with a qualified therapist who will listen to your issues and teach you new skills that will help improve your marriage. However, to enjoy these benefits of attending a retreat, you should consider the points below, as they can make it easy for you to choose the perfect retreat.
Consider Comfort for You and Your Spouse
The last thing you want is to attend a retreat where one or both of you feel uncomfortable. You should choose a relationship retreat that makes you feel welcomed and that wants to see your marriage succeed. Most Couples Therapy Retreats offer a consultation before the actual retreat. This is beneficial because you and your spouse get the opportunity to talk to the therapist and see if they are a good fit for your needs.
Connecting with a therapist should be your main priority. If the therapist offers tough love and this doesn’t work for you, you should know that before you invest your money, energy, and finances. Your time at the retreat should be productive and nurturing, and you should leave feeling like you have someone in your corner fighting for the success of your marriage. You will need a therapist that will allow both you and your partner to feel comfortable enough to open up completely and tackle those challenging issues interfering with your marriage.
Consider If the Retreat Guarantees Privacy and Anonymity
Marriage retreats are sometimes completed in a one-couple-only or group format. If you choose the group format, you will be interacting with other couples and sharing information in a way that’s intended to empathize and support. However, if you don’t want your relationship troubles with other couples, you can choose the one couple-only format. It doesn’t matter which format you choose; the retreat should be willing to keep your matters private from the public.
You are attending a Couples Therapy Retreat to facilitate greater communication and trust. Being careless with sensitive information like financial issues can defeat the overall purpose of going to the retreat.
Consider the Methods Used by the Retreat
It is vital to consider picking a relationship retreat that utilizes evidence-based approaches. Working with therapists who rely on personal opinions to respond to and guide you will have short-lived results. Choose a retreat that uses approaches such as narrative therapy. This form of therapy allows you and your spouse to isolate your problems from yourselves.
By giving your issues a bit of distance, it’s easier for you to see other ways that issue is affecting you. Another evidence-based approach therapists use is emotionally focused therapy. This form of therapy focuses on the bonding quality of adult relationships. This approach involves exploring patterns in the relationship and taking steps to create a closer bond and increase trust.
You should also choose a retreat that utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy. This form of therapy helps couples communicate better, improve intimacy and explore the negative and harmful dynamics that are hurting the relationship. Attending a retreat that utilizes such approaches ensures the sustainability of the skills taught.
Consider If the Retreat Has a Plan for Follow-Up Care
A good marriage retreat is one that sends its participants home with homework and the resources to facilitate it. There are numerous options offered by such a retreat, including online sessions, weekly sessions, mini-intensives, and more. According to past research, you will achieve more effective results by having multiple intense doses of learning close together. The objective should be to gradually fade out the proximity of the sessions as time goes by.
A Marriage Retreat for couples facing issues, while intensive, will only be a starting point. The retreat should offer guidance and support after the immersion experience to fuel your progress and sustainability.
Endnote
Before attending a marriage retreat, you should take time to consider certain aspects so as to ensure the retreat will satisfy the specific needs of your marriage. Most of the important aspects to consider are highlighted above. s