Pricing and Frequently Asked Questions

Most likely our intensive couples retreats are not covered by your insurance company. We are not affiliated with any HMOs or PPOs and we do not accept payments from insurance companies. We recommend that you check with your insurance company to see what mental and behavioral health services your policy covers.

The cost of a private intensive couples retreat may seem hard to justify until you consider the costs of allowing your marriage to continue down its rocky trajectory. The average divorce without children costs $10,100 and takes 11 months; with children it costs $15,500 and takes 15 months. In New York the cost rises to $24,500 for a divorce that goes to trial on two or more issues, and divorces involving child custody or support run about 50 percent more than average. Alimony can leave the supporting spouse with 40 percent of their income or less, and divorce creates deep and lasting emotional impacts on children. Viewed in this light, the cost of a retreat is much lower than it seems, both financially and emotionally. You have the incredible opportunity to rescue your family and your most important relationship.

Retreats last 3 to 5 days depending on your needs, with up to 6 hours of work per day, a 60 minute lunch break, and additional breaks as needed. They are available year round, and we like to start earlier in the week so you can enjoy your weekend.

We hold retreats in Northampton, MA with Ross Hackerson; Providence, RI with Sage Goodwin, LMFT; and Auburn, CA with Jordan Hamilton, Ph.D. Visit our Retreat Locations page to learn more about each setting.

Please reach out using the contact form or call now, and we will be happy to schedule your retreat on the dates that work best for you.

Because you make more progress, sooner. A private intensive couples retreat offers change, connection, and healing in days rather than the months or years required by hour-per-week sessions. You stay focused on your relationship each day, working from 9 to 5 with a lunch break and other breaks as needed; there is no wasted time saying hello, catching up, or shutting down a session. Individual sessions for each partner are easily woven into the day to address personal trauma and then integrated into the relationship work, and practical problem solving and living strategies are built in as you go.

Every couple is unique, and we have worked with couples facing all sorts of problems and found that all can be healed, no matter how drastic, provided that both partners are motivated to do the work. Common reasons couples come include contemplating divorce, working through an affair, problems with emotional and sexual intimacy, empty nest syndrome or living like roommates, mid-life crisis or major life changes, and pre-marital work or fine tuning your connection before issues grow.

There are three issues we call the Three A's that make it impossible for us to move forward. Abuse: this work rests on a foundation of trust, and abuse destroys the safety needed to open up to one another. Active addiction: a compulsive behavior that interferes with the relationship and erodes trust in the same way. An active affair: this work requires both partners to engage in the therapeutic process together, and during an active affair loyalties and connection have been severed, making meaningful work nearly impossible until the affair has ended.

Couples leave able to eliminate patterns of behavior and interaction that do not work, identify the negative cycle their relationship is stuck in, learn positive communication skills, gain tools to address negative feelings, and build a foundation of trust. You will learn how your attachment styles drive the cycle, how to see the cycle as your shared enemy rather than your partner, how to make requests and set healthy boundaries, and how to strengthen your connection with regular daily practices.

If you do end up getting divorced, you can rest assured knowing that you tried everything in your power to work things out. An amicable divorce is significantly quicker and less costly than average, and if you have children, you will have learned powerful tools to effectively co-parent, supporting your ongoing relationship.

Yes. Our intensive couples retreats are based on the science of healthy bonding in adult relationships most clearly described by Sue Johnson, the originator of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, in her book Hold Me Tight. We use a systematic, empirically validated theory of adult bonding as the basis for understanding and alleviating relationship problems, and the benefits of a retreat persist long after you return to daily life. The process moves from a clear assessment of the relationship and each partner, through recognizing your negative cycles and the emotions that drive them, to strengthening your bond and healing attachment wounds from the past and in your present relationship.

Retreat days run up to 6 hours with a 60 minute lunch break and additional breaks as needed each day.

Yes. We are happy to provide online follow-up coaching to help you integrate the tools and changes you acquire during the retreat and to support your progress moving forward. We can make these arrangements following your retreat, and we recommend that you have an ongoing therapist at home.