Couples intensive (Couples Retreat) – Jessica Myers LCSW

An Intensive or Relationship Boot Camp Session Can Turn Your Relationship Around

Is your relationship an unending series of unresolved problems?

Are You Walking on eggshells?

Desperate for passion?

There is still hope

Not all couples therapy is created equal and even the experts sometimes find that the regular therapy hour or 90 minute session isn’t long enough.

Our extended sessions and day long retreats give couples the time to take a deeper dive and explore, identify and move past the broken patterns of conflict, defensiveness, and shut down that have built walls up between them.

Here at Emergent, we will tailor your work so that you get the quickest results. Sometimes this means booking a mini intensive (4 hours) or a full day dedicated to getting you unstuck.

Is This Right For You?

Intensives are for if you want to…

Learn the common traps and patterns that leave you feeling disconnected… and feel like your partner finally understands you.
Get results quickly and privately.
Address the root of your issues, instead of tackling the problem of the week – and then learn how to move forward.
“Stop the bleeding” of a crisis like infidelity, addiction, or clashing parenting differences.
Dedicate time for just the two of you to get your relationship back on track.
Feel emotionally and sexually alive again.
Feel appreciated, respected, and loved again.

Why The Customized Intensive Deep Dive Format Works

The Emergent Relationship Center experience is truly different from other intensive programs. When We call it a “Game Changer”, we’re serious. Our approach is not only about the rapid progress you’ll make during our day together. There’s continued support for your new skills. After the initial breakthroughs in communication, our follow-up sessions will give you more tools to transform your relationship.

You’ll move from being opponents in your marriage to being on the same team. And, just like other successful teams, you’ll be doing it with a caring coach.

With the typical weekly therapy model, you lose momentum. New problems pop up after you leave the office, and suddenly, therapy is only putting out the fire of the week. You never catch up to working on the real issues.

50 minutes is not enough time to talk in depth. Your sessions can be disrupted or interrupted. Or it takes 40 minutes to get to the heart of the issue… and 10 more minutes is not enough time to make the change your relationship deserves.

By taking advantage of our longer sessions, you build on the momentum. You have more “a-ha!” moments. You get more insights, your partner finally understands what you’re saying, and you have time to practice what you’re learning right then, with our guidance.

This is how you create rapid results

While you may feel overwhelmed by setting aside a whole day for therapy, let us reassure you that it’s not as intense as you think.

The time away you take for an intensive is an asset.

Many couples report that it’s actually easier to take a day off than trying to get away for a few hours each week.

No more compartmentalizing your day or leaving therapy in a tizzy. No more having to muscle your way through the rest of your day, competing with the emotional drain of a tough session.

Many couples combine an intensive with a weekend getaway. The vacation or retreat mentality lets you leave everyday stresses behind and really focus on your relationship without other distractions.

But, after the weekend is done, the Deep Dive Intensives go beyond those initial breakthroughs. We don’t leave you with just insights and tools. We’ll continue to follow up and ensure that you’re on track and getting stronger in your communication skills.

The progress will continue.

What kind of options are there?

We have customized sessions ranging from 4 hours – 2 day programs. These can be stand alone or added to 3 or 6 month coaching packages. The shorter sessions are generally used to get through a single issue. For breakthroughs, a full day or a 2 day intensive is recommended. Prices range from $750-$3,600.

Relationship Boot Camp Session (typically 4 hours)

Customized agenda for session.
Good to work on a specific issue.
Great way to get some clarity and begin implementing change now.

Relationship Intensive Full Day

Amounts to up to 3 months in therapy.
Good for couples wanting to get started now.
Customized plan.
Helpful to address and breakdown patterns to create immediate changes.

Relationship Breakthrough with Follow-up Support

Amounts to up to 3 months in therapy.
Get started now and address additional stressors.
Customized plan to address specific patterns.
Ongoing support to keep momentum and create new patterns.

Relationship Breakthrough and Emerge

Amounts to up to months of work.
Customized plan to detangle major issues.
Make radical shifts and step into a transformed relationship.
Get started and make progress over 2 days rather than further ongoing work.

Full Day Agenda Sample

This Program Can Turn Your Relationship Around

Morning

We recommend you start your day with a nice relaxed schedule. You may want to arrive the night before so you are relaxed and settled in by the time we meet. Wake up with plenty of time to enjoy a nourishing breakfast, take a stroll around the neighborhood, do some yoga, or ground yourself with meditation or journaling. Leave enough time so that you do not feel rushed. You will meet at our office at 8:30am.

8:45am-12pm

When you arrive at our office, you’ll check in and we’ll get started. Dress in any way that feels comfortable to you. Consider putting your phone on airplane mode to leave all outside distractions behind. This time spent together is designed to focus exclusively on you and your relationship. This morning we will focus on getting clear about what the issues are that are making your relationship so difficult. We have a clear way of getting to the bottom of how communication breaks down. Our goal is to understand what injuries have accumulated and how well you can listen to each other so that you can begin to repair these during the intensive.

After a short break, we will complete an activity where you will experience dramatic shifts in how you communicate now. Having you experience change is powerful. You won’t just learn something and be expected to implement it out there.

Afternoon

12-1:30pm

You and your partner will have time to eat at a healthy local restaurant, enjoy a walk downtown by the water, or walk to to a local trail. You can talk about the morning or just get a break so you come back feeling refreshed.

1:30-5pm

Now that everything is on the table, we can get to the root of your specific problem. We will help you find the words to express what you want to say, unravel years of painful and toxic patterns, and give you tools to take home with you. You’ll gain a sense of empowerment about your relationship skills.
You’ll learn to stop blaming each other and yourself for what’s going on, and take a deeper look at what you need from each other. You’ll finish the day feeling reconnected, loved, supported, and understood.

Follow Up Appointments

Only comic book heroes and mythical creatures could return to the stress of their everyday life forever changed by a 1-day intensive. That doesn’t mean you won’t leave our time together changed, though! But life does get in the way, and patterns are notoriously hard to interrupt. That’s why we include 3 follow-up sessions in your Intensive package.

We will schedule these in a cadence that best suits the momentum you have, so you can feel confident knowing you will continue to build on the skills we developed in our time together.

These follow-up appointments can be done in person or via video conferencing, and help you maintain the progress that feels so good.

The format of this program is completely different from typical intensives. Most intensives or retreats are a one-and-done, usually lasting for a weekend or 3 days, with no follow-through. Our approach gets you started, turned around, and then continues to support you while you make lasting changes.

In this program, you don’t just go for a weekend retreat. You make changes, build on those changes, and follow a trusted approach.

12 Unique Relationship Building Exercises

These exercises are tailored to your specific relationship needs. We will email these to you at strategic times over the course of our work together, because we’ve found this approach works best to keep your momentum going, and then keeps you on track with the skills you built in our time together.

Click to text 717-461-3602 or call 717-316-0257

Frequently Asked Questions

How is a Relationship Program Different From Regular Marriage Therapy?

A full day away from your normal routine allows you to privately focus on the issues at hand. You’re our full focus during the day.
Longer session times let us dig in much faster and more efficiently.
We address the root of the problem rather than the fight of the week.
Your follow up sessions both keep you on track and build on your momentum. You’ll keep exercising your new strengths and skills.
With regular therapy, the drain can get clogged between sessions. Clearing that out takes time. Without the distractions of weekly build up, we can get 3 months of therapy done in one sitting. It’s powerful, and efficient.

We won’t run out of time just before we start to solve your problem.

Is it Covered by Insurance?

If you are interested in using insurance, it will be considered out of network. We can provide a statement for you to collect reimbursement from them.

Travel Arrangements (hotels, driving, dining)

An Intensive is a chance for a beautiful getaway in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We encourage you to use this time as a retreat, even if you are local. This concentrated time on your relationship can propel you toward powerful change and give you time to focus on restoring your relationship and making it thrive. It allows you to get away from your regular schedule, environment, and life, while you focus.

We are 1.5 hours from Philadelphia and 3.5 hours from Pittsburgh. We are looking for an agreement to get discounts on hotel accommodations a mile away from our office.

Driving Time to Harrisburg from:

Pittsburgh, PA – 3.5 hours
New York City (NYC) – 2.5 hours
Philadelphia, PA – 2 hours
Wilmington, DE – 2 hours
Newark, NJ – 2.5 hours
Trenton, NJ – 2 hours
Baltimore, MD – 1.5 hours
Ithaca, NY – 4 hours
Washington D.C. – 2.5 hours

Airports

The closest airport is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (MDT). This is about 20 minutes from our office. Newark, New Jersey (EWR), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL), and Lehigh Valley International (ABE) airports are also conveniently with in driving distance from our office.

Is There a Guarantee?

Absolutely.

If, after our free phone consultation, you decide to come in, we will check in with you in the first hour. If you decide it’s not for you, or you can’t see the value in the direction we’re headed, we’ll scratch the session right there. You pay nothing.

We’ve never had that happen before. However, if you don’t feel like you’re making the progress you want in just one hour, you can leave with no obligation no return. And you pay nothing. We promise. No catch, no fine print.

Give us a call today to see if we’re a good fit to work together.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Why Should we Choose this program?

The problems and struggles in your relationship didn’t happen immediately, and they can’t be fixed immediately. But an Intensive is the closest you can get to overnight results.

If you want results quickly, an intensive gets you progress fast. The focused attention you receive can give you three months of therapy in just one session.

An intensive is right for you if…

You’re about to give up on your marriage, but there’s a part of you that wants to give it one more chance
You want to feel lighter and happier in your relationship
You’re tired of feeling powerless when you think about your marriage
You want practical, specific tools you can use to make your partnership work
You struggle to find the words to express what you want to say, and feel frustrated that you’re constantly misunderstood
You’re tired of repeating the same old fight
“We can’t communicate!” is a common frustration at home
You have tried marriage and individual therapy in the past and it hasn’t worked
Your partner feels more like a roommate than a lover
You want to understand and connect with your partner, but you’re not sure how
You want to feel loved, supported, and understood again – like a true partner
You want to make these changes privately

You don’t need to have tried therapy before to make good use of an Intensive. In fact, a clean slate is also beneficial! Intensives are great opportunities to take a look at your unique cycles and patterns, and learn the tools to reconnect.

Is It Worth It?

Do you invest in the things in your life that fill you up? Hobbies, passions, travel, dining out?

Life is richer when you invest in the relationships and things that matter most to you. Your marriage is the most important relationship of your life, so why not invest in that as well?

If you consider the cost of ongoing therapy, you could spend much more on weekly sessions, and prolong the agony as you take weeks to heal from misunderstandings and fights. You lose your progress, adding on even more sessions. And that doesn’t include the cost of divorce lawyers, moving, child support, or ongoing counseling if weekly sessions can’t save your marriage.

The immeasurable cost of not seeking relationship help is the loneliness, exhaustion, and hopelessness that comes from a disconnected relationship.

A customized intensive is the most time and cost effective way to help your relationship thrive. It’s focused, exclusive to your problems, and you have skilled guidance throughout.

While it may sound like a cliché, it’s a real question: How could you afford not to invest in the one relationship that it your greatest possible source of happiness and strength?

You spend so much time and energy taking care of people around you. NOW is the time to take care of yourself and your most important relationship.