Focused Couple Sessions
Short-term. Target based. A mini-retreat for you and your partner.
A Very different way of doing therapy...
Rather than meet every week for an hour, meet for more specific time periods for breakthrough
Are Focused Sessions right for me?
Focused Sessions are very powerful and often create the breakthrough a couple needs.
You may find a Focused Session a perfect fit for you if:
-
You struggle to find consistent meeting times every week
-
You are juggling many things in your schedule and work better with more focused time
-
You are remote and want to travel for an in-person experience (I can also travel to you with extra cost)
-
You have an time-specific event you are preparing for, working through, or that limits your long-term plans.
Focused Sessions are NOT going to be a good fit if:
-
There are safety issues in the relationship due to physical violence, threats, suicidal thoughts or threats, or any kind of physical, emotional or sexual abuse - This would require a deeper assessment and different level of care.
-
Either one of you is not committed to working on the relationship - That will need to be processed first.
-
Either one of you has an active struggle with an addiction - That will need to be addressed first
-
You are looking for mediation, intervention or cannot agree on goals for the focused work.
-
Either of you are struggling with the effects of past trauma, relational trauma, or any other struggle that creates intense emotional reactivity and confusion between you and your partner - This will have to be explored first and assessed for possible individual work that can compliment couple work.
How it works...
Weekly therapy is like physical therapy. It is ongoing work that seeks to heal and strengthen the body after injury or weakness. The repeated exercises and experiences are requires along with time for healing. A Focused Session, however, is like surgery. The target is much more specific, the intervention much more direct and focused, and success defined by breakthrough in a defined goal. Like surgery, it is also a scheduled as a single occurrence with an evaluation after to decide what the best next steps are. Often times it accomplishes the goal and the couple is able to heal and grow from there. Other times it could be a jump-start to weekly or regularly occurring therapy sessions the way physical therapy can follow surgery. Couples can schedule follow ups in the future or even other intensives later on. Whatever we decide is best and what the couple would prefer!
First, contact your therapist to inquire about Focused Sessions. With a short conversation and more information, we can decide if an intensive is right for you. We then have three basic steps:
Assessment
We meet first for a 90 minute session to assess the dynamic of the relationship and collaboratively set goals for the Focused Session. Think of it as "Pre-Op", preparing you for the the best and most productive experience.
Focused Session
After setting the times, dates and locations, the operation begins! A typical schedule is three hours, with a break, a lunch, and then another two or three hours. It is always dictated by the needs of the couple. You will be shocked at how fast it goes!
Follow-up
At the end of the session, we commonly set aside a time in the future to follow and evaluate and reflect upon what has changed and make recommendations for moving forward. The "Post-Op!" The time and formate is always dictated by the needs of the couple and recommendations of the therapist.
Options and Cost
First, schedule a consult and learn how it all works. Then we schedule a 90 minute assessment session to figure out what is going on and if Focused Sessions are appropriate. We collaborate to create goals and figure out what options is best for you!
