Couples Therapy Retreat
When couples feel stuck, overwhelmed, or caught in the same painful patterns, weekly therapy can sometimes feel too slow or fragmented. Couples therapy retreats offer something different: dedicated time, thoughtful structure, and professional support to help couples slow down, understand what’s happening beneath the surface, and move forward with greater clarity.
Why couples choose a couples therapy retreat
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![A woman standing with arms crossed and a man sitting at a table with head in hands, appearing distressed or overwhelmed.]()
Disagreements spiral or end without resolution
Avoid repeated cycles by creating space and structure.
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Feeling disconnected or more like roommates
Focus on rebuilding closeness, not just surface fixes.
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![A man with dreadlocks and a woman with braided hair stand in a room, engaging in a conversation or activity. The woman hands on her hip, and the man holds her arm gently while speaking.]()
Trust has been hurt and repairs feel stuck
Targeted time for repair work and guided reconciliation.
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![A close-up of a woman receiving a vaccination shot on her upper arm from a healthcare worker, with the woman's face partially visible and the healthcare worker's hand and arm in focus.]()
One partner seeks closeness while the other needs space
A retreat supports paced exploration of different needs.
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![A person in a white shirt taking notes in a notebook while sitting at a table, with two people blurred in the background, a woman and a man, sitting on a pink sofa in a bright room.]()
Weekly couples therapy hasn’t created traction
Intensive work can accelerate insight and momentum.
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![A man and a woman sitting across from each other in a room with white walls. The man has light brown hair, wearing a white shirt and gray pants, looking down. The woman has wavy light brown hair, wearing a light pink blouse and black stockings, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the camera. There is a reflection of the scene on a shiny floor.]()
Week-long commitments feel impossible
Concentrated days reduce scheduling friction and lost momentum.
What is a Couples Therapy Retreat?
A focused, in-person experience for intensive relational work over one to three days
A couples therapy retreat is a structured, in-person experience that allows couples to work together over one, two, or three days. Rather than spreading difficult conversations across months, retreats offer focused time to understand relational patterns, repair connection, and explore next steps in a contained, supportive setting.
This format is especially helpful when couples need more space, time, and guidance than weekly sessions allow.
A retreat gives you focused time, clear structure, and clinician support so the work can go deeper than weekly sessions allow.
Your retreat begins with careful preparation, includes a research-informed assessment, and delivers concentrated, in-person therapy days tailored to your relationship. We pace the work to support emotional safety and practical change — not to rush you.
Each retreat ends with a personalized follow-up plan and tools you can use at home, plus a 30-minute follow-up session to help integrate the work.
How much time can you give your relationship right now?
1-Day Retreat
$2,100
6 Hours of Therapy
Pre-session Assessment
Post-Session Toolkit
80 min Follow-up
additional details below
2-Day Retreat
$3,400
10 Hours of Therapy
Pre-session Assessment
Post-Session Toolkit
80 min Follow-up
additional details below
3-Day Retreat
$4,600
14 Hours of Therapy
Pre-session Assessment
Post-Session Toolkit
80 min Follow-up
additional details below
What to Expect
Couples therapy retreats offer focused time to slow down and work on your relationship in a meaningful way.
Before your retreat, each partner completes a comprehensive relationship assessment to help guide our work together.
Retreats are thoughtfully tailored and typically include relationship feedback, guided conversations, skill-building, and time to practice new patterns of connection.
Retreats are thoughtfully tailored and typically include relationship feedback, guided conversations, skill-building, and time to practice new patterns of connection.
All Retreat Sessions are Located in a Dedicated Space With
Personal Lounge - Snacks & Drinks
Large Session Room - Flexible Seating & Workshop Breakouts
Each Personalized Retreat Includes
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Thoughtful Pre-Retreat Preparation
30-minute individual consultation with each partner to orient the work.
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Focused, in Person Theraphy
6 hours on day one; 4 hours per day on subsequent days (up to 14 hours total)
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Comprehensive Relationship Assessment
Gottman Relationship Checkup — clinician-scored & integrated into your retreat plan.
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Evidence-Based interventions
Gottman Method + Emotionally Focused Therapy, tailored to your goals.
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Take-home Tools & Resources
Gottman Relationship Toolkit + a recommended relationship book.
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Personalized Follow-up Palnning
A clear, realistic plan to build on progress after the retreat.
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Follow-up Support
One 80-minute follow-up session included (use within 90 days).
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Extended Therapist Support
Extra days or follow-up sessions with your therapist can be added based on your needs.
Insurance & Payment Information
Couples therapy retreats are private-pay services and are not billed to insurance.
Retreat services are provided on a private-pay basis and are not submitted to insurance companies.
Insurance carriers generally require services to meet “medical necessity” criteria (typically an individual diagnosis and ongoing treatment). Intensive, relational retreat formats do not meet insurance billing criteria.
Because of this:
retreat services are not billed to insurance,
superbills are not provided,
and retreats are not eligible for insurance reimbursement.
If you need insurance-covered care or a diagnosis for coverage purposes, weekly couples therapy or individual therapy may be a more appropriate option — we can discuss alternatives during your consultation
Why Attend a Couples Retreat
You experience an emotionally distant partner.
Couples therapy sessions have stalled.
You disagree about the balance between closeness and space.
Negative conversations are escalating.
Your schedules are busy.
You’re open to reflection.
You’re motivated to try intensive therapy.
This format is most helpful for couples who can engage honestly, slow down, and work together for focused time.
Limited spots — retreats scheduled selectively to ensure quality care.
What This Process Often Feels Like
Many couples arrive unsure, guarded, or emotionally tired — that’s normal.
Retreat work is intentionally paced to honor emotional safety and avoid overwhelm. We build in breaks, check in frequently, and move at a rhythm that supports regulation and genuine understanding rather than forcing confrontation.
People often describe the experience as intense but clarifying: difficult material comes up, but there’s space to process it with structure, clinician guidance, and practical tools. That clarity — more than dramatic breakthroughs — is the common and lasting benefit.
This is not about deciding everything in one weekend. It’s about creating a contained space where progress can begin, and where couples leave with both insight and a realistic plan for what’s next.
“We felt nervous going in, but we left with clearer answers and the tools to keep working together.”
What a Retreat may not be the Right Fit
If any of these apply, we’ll recommend alternatives such as safety planning, individual therapy, substance-use treatment, or referral to higher-level care.
If you or a partner are in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency services right away.
A couples therapy retreat can be powerful — but it’s not appropriate in every situation.
If any of the situations describe your relationship right now, we’ll discuss safer, more appropriate options during your consultation.
One partner feels unsafe expressing themselves in front of the other.
There is ongoing domestic violence, coercive control, or any threat to a partner’s safety.
There is acute psychiatric instability (e.g., active suicidal ideation, psychosis) requiring a higher level of care.
One partner is seeking therapy primarily to change or control the other.
About Your Therapist
Sarah Olson, LCSW
Over 15 years working with couples — Gottman & EFT trained
Sarah Olson, LCSW, brings more than 15 years of clinical experience helping couples break destructive cycles and rebuild connection. She blends the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with trauma-informed care to create a steady, practical approach for couples at many stages in their relationship.
Sarah emphasizes emotional safety, clear structure, and actionable tools. She has advanced training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy, and extensive experience guiding couples through intensive, in-person retreats as well as weekly therapy. Her work is direct, compassionate, and focused on helping partners understand patterns and practice new ways of relating.
15+ years clinical experience working with couples
dvanced training: Gottman Method & Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Specialties: trust repair, attachment injuries, pacing closeness vs. space
What Happens After the Retreat?
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Integrate (0–4 weeks)
Practice Tools + 30-min Follow-up
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Apply (1–3 months)
Daily Practices, Optional Check-ins
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Decide (3+ months)
Continue Therapy / Pause / Reassess
The retreat is the start of change, not the end of it.
You’ll leave the retreat with a clearer understanding of the patterns that matter most in your relationship and practical tools you can use right away. The goal is steady, sustainable change — not quick fixes.
Each retreat includes one 30-minute follow-up session (virtual or phone) to help integrate what you learned; this session must be used within 90 days. During that follow-up we’ll review progress, troubleshoot challenges, and refine the plan you leave with.
After the follow-up some couples continue with weekly or biweekly therapy, some schedule occasional coaching sessions, and others take time to practice and decide. We’ll discuss options that fit your goals and schedule during your consultation and the follow-up.
Getting Started
Couples therapy retreats are offered on a limited basis to allow for thoughtful preparation and follow-through.
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Schedule a consultation.
We’ll talk about what’s bringing you in, safety, goals, and whether a retreat is clinically appropriate.
2
Complete pre-retreat preparation.
Each partner completes the Gottman Relationship Checkup and has a 30-minute individual consultation so we can tailor the retreat.
3
Choose dates & book.
We’ll select retreat length and timing together. Retreats are private-pay and limited in availability.
By scheduling a consultation or retreat you acknowledge that couples therapy retreats are private-pay services and are not billed to insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have a question?
Schedule a brief consultation and we’ll walk through it together.
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A consultation helps determine whether this format is a good fit. We’ll talk about your goals, safety, and timing and recommend the best option — retreat, weekly therapy, or another path.
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