Couples Therapy Intensives

Are you and your partner cycling through the same conflicts, wondering if anything will ever change? A couples therapy intensive offers a focused environment where you can explore your relational patterns and reconnect with one another in a held and supportive space.

Relationships evolve through periods of closeness and conflict, intimacy and misunderstanding, growth and repair. When difficulties escalate or feel unmanageable, weekly therapy may not provide the momentum needed for real change.

Whether you’re navigating ongoing challenges or a moment of crisis, a 2-day couples therapy intensive helps you stabilise, repair, and strengthen your relationship. Intensives are held in person in Bristol, UK or at select locations within the UK, including London.

What Is a Couples Therapy Intensive?

A couples therapy intensive is a private, immersive therapeutic experience designed to create meaningful relational change in a short period of time. Rather than months of weekly sessions, an intensive offers concentrated time to explore the core issues beneath conflict, distance, or disconnect.

If you answer yes to any of these questions, a couples therapy intensive might be a good fit:

• Is your relationship in crisis and in need of focused, immediate support?

• Do you know something in your relationship needs to change, but you’re not sure how to move forward?

• Does your relationship need more than weekly therapy can provide?

• Do you feel like you’re losing each other, despite trying everything?

• Do you and your partner struggle to find consistent time for weekly sessions due to work schedules, childcare, or conflicting availability?

• Could your relationship benefit from concentrated, uninterrupted time to heal and reconnect?

The patterns that feel impossible to break can shift with the right support and focus.

The intensive includes 12 hours of guided therapeutic work over two consecutive days, with 6 hours per day. This focused and dedicated container allows the relational work to build naturally, without losing momentum.

What happens during the intensive:

• Gain clarity about communication and conflict patterns

• Understand how unmet needs trigger reactivity, defensiveness, or withdrawal

• Rebuild emotional and physical intimacy

• Repair attachment injuries and moments of rupture

• Explore relational patterns that keep you stuck or frustrated

• Leave with clear next steps and a plan for ongoing growth

Couples often describe intensives as the moment when old patterns finally loosen, and something new becomes possible.

Who Intensives Are For

I work with couples at various stages of their relationship. Some are in crisis, some are stuck in recurring patterns, and others are steady but frustrated.

A 2-day intensive may be especially supportive if you are:

• Experiencing recurring arguments or escalating conflict

• Recovering from betrayal or infidelity

• Struggling with emotional intimacy and attachment difficulties

• Getting caught up in jealousy, anger and strong emotions

• Feeling emotionally distant, disconnected, or alone in the relationship

• Stuck in a cycle of blame, defence, or withdrawal

• High-conflict partners who struggle to make progress in weekly therapy

If you and your partner feel stuck and unable to move forward, an intensive can provide the focused space to understand the impasse and create a new path forward. My 2-day couples intensives are designed for partners who need deep, immersive support beyond traditional weekly sessions.

Intensives are not appropriate when there is:

• Ongoing infidelity

• An untreated mental health issue or addiction

• Active or recent domestic abuse or intimate partner violence

• A separation already underway or finalised

The consultation process will help determine whether an intensive is the right fit or whether another type of support would be safer and more effective.

My Approach

I am a qualified couples therapist and psychotherapeutic counsellor with extensive training in couples and relationship therapy, including Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), humanistic, and psychodynamic approaches. My work with couples is grounded in attachment theory, differentiation, and trauma-informed practice.

Every couple brings a unique landscape of experiences, attachment histories, and unmet needs. My role is to help you understand what is happening between you and within each of you with compassion and curiosity, not judgment or blame.

My approach balances attachment (safety, closeness, responsiveness) with differentiation (selfhood, boundaries, emotional autonomy). Healthy relationships require both connection and individuality, closeness and independence.

I work with interconnected therapeutic approaches that help us understand the surface issues and the deeper relational dynamics:

• Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT): We work with attachment patterns (how each partner reaches for closeness, safety, and reassurance) and we restructure emotional connection from the inside out.

• Humanistic and Person-Centred Therapy: You and your partner are met with respect, empathy, and acceptance. Your lived experiences matter, and each partner’s internal world is honoured.

• Psychodynamic Therapy: We explore how relational templates from the past shape reactions in the present, particularly the parts that feel confusing, shameful, or overwhelming.

Over the years, I have supported individuals and couples in navigating communication challenges, emotional disconnection, and intimacy concerns. My training, combined with years of experience, allows me to provide safe, structured, and highly effective in-person couples therapy intensives tailored to each couple’s unique needs.

What to Expect

Consultation Call

Before your couples therapy intensive, each partner is invited to complete a 20-minute consultation call with me. These initial conversations will help me understand your situation and ensure that what I offer fits your needs. We’ll discuss practical matters such as scheduling, fees, and confidentiality, and I can answer questions you may have about working together.

Before the intensive

A pre-intensive questionnaire will be sent to each partner to complete and return one week before the intensive. This helps me understand your relationship history and current concerns, ensuring we can make the most of our time together. I’ll review what you share to prepare for our work together and shape the approach to fit your relationship.

During the intensive

Each intensive is tailored to the couple using a format designed to follow where the therapeutic work needs to go. The schedule will be adapted to your specific needs and may shift based on what emerges during our time together. This flexibility is essential. It allows the therapy to respond to you, rather than the other way around.

Over the two days, we will work through a combination of joint and individual sessions. We’ll work through attachment injuries, intimacy concerns, or ruptures that have created distance between you. This typically includes:

• Couples assessment to explore your current challenges, communication cycles, and relationship history

• Individual assessments for each partner to express their experience and needs

• Attachment repair and emotional communication work

• Exploring intimacy, relational, or identity-based issues

• Guided relational dialogues and therapeutic interventions

• Rehearsing and experiencing new ways of relating

• Future-planning and relationship stabilisation

Lunch and regular breaks are built into each day to support emotional regulation, physical comfort, and integration.

You and your partner will gain a clearer understanding of emotional triggers and relational cycles, along with practical tools for communicating and reducing conflict. You’ll leave with a stronger foundation for connection and concrete next steps for your relationship.

After the intensive

Couples typically book follow-up sessions to maintain momentum and integrate new patterns. These are usually 80-minute online sessions that can be scheduled based on your needs. In some cases, couples return for an additional intensive day to deepen the work or revisit key themes.

Real change happens when you create the space for it.

Practical Details

Location

Intensives are held in person at my practice room in Bristol, UK. They can also be arranged at select locations within the UK, including London.

Fees

The fee for a 2-day couples therapy intensive is £1,800.

All fees will be discussed transparently during the consultation. Any travel or accommodation costs are the responsibility of the client. More information about fees can be found here.

Preparing for your intensive

Before booking, each partner is invited to a 20-minute consultation call. This allows us to:

• Understand your current situation

• Discuss your goals and concerns

• Explore whether an intensive is appropriate

• Clarify fees, scheduling, and logistics

• Determine suitability and safety

There is no obligation to continue after the consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long are the couples therapy intensives?

The therapy intensive takes place over two consecutive days. Each intensive includes 12 hours of therapy, with 6 hours per day.

Where are the couples therapy intensives held?

Intensives are held at my practice room in Bristol, UK or at select locations within the UK, including London. We can discuss the location during your consultation.

What days are intensives held?

Intensives are available Thursday through Sunday. We’ll schedule two consecutive days that work for you during the consultation call.

Can the days be scheduled separately?

No. The continuous 2-day format is intentional, and the days cannot be scheduled separately. The focused and dedicated container allows the relational work to build naturally, without losing momentum. Once the 2-day intensive is complete, couples may return for an additional intensive day at a later date.

Will my partner or I need to do anything to prepare for the intensive?

Yes. One week before the intensive, each partner will receive a pre-intensive questionnaire to complete and return. This covers your relationship history, current concerns, and what you hope to achieve, allowing me to tailor the work to your needs. You’ll also want to ensure you have childcare or other responsibilities covered for the two full days, and consider arranging the evening between sessions for rest and integration rather than additional obligations.

Is accommodation included?

No, accommodation is not included. However, some couples find it helpful to book a hotel for the weekend (even if they live nearby) as it creates a dedicated space for reflection and integration between the two days. This is a personal choice and entirely optional.

Will we receive support after the intensive?

Yes. Most couples find that follow-up sessions help sustain the momentum and deepen the changes begun in the intensive. These can be offered as 80-minute online sessions. Some couples also choose to return for an additional intensive day to revisit core themes or continue the work.

What issues are intensives most effective for?

Intensives are particularly effective for high-conflict relationships, chronic communication breakdowns, emotional disconnection or distance, intimacy challenges, attachment injury and infidelity recovery, and major life transitions. They offer momentum and containment that weekly therapy often cannot provide.

Is a couples therapy intensive suitable for us if we are unsure whether to stay together?

Yes, in many cases. An intensive can help you understand whether the relationship is repairable and what each partner truly needs. However, if separation is already underway, legally or emotionally, an intensive may not be appropriate.

What if we are dealing with infidelity?

Infidelity is a common reason for a couple to seek therapy. Couples dealing with betrayal or broken trust are welcome, as long as the infidelity is no longer ongoing. If a current affair is still active or undisclosed, intensive work is not suitable.

Do you work with same-sex couples and LGBTQ+ partners?

Yes. I provide therapy for relationships regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. I recognise that cultural, religious, and personal values deeply influence how we approach relationships, and I’m committed to honouring the specific context of your relationship while helping you work toward your goals.

What is Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT)?

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) is an attachment-based approach to couples therapy that addresses the emotional patterns beneath conflict and disconnection. It focuses on how each partner seeks closeness, safety, and reassurance. Rather than just teaching communication techniques, EFCT helps couples understand and transform the underlying attachment dynamics that shape their relationship. It’s a core part of my work, both in ongoing couples therapy and intensives.

Is Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) evidence-based?

Yes. Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) is one of the most researched and effective approaches to couples therapy. Research demonstrates that approximately 70-73% of couples move from distress to recovery through EFCT, with about 90% experiencing significant improvement (Johnson et al., 1999). A meta-analysis of 32 studies found substantial improvements in relationship functioning that are maintained over time (Beasley & Aponte, 2019). These changes last for years after therapy ends, and couples continue to report stronger bonds and greater relationship satisfaction.

Is there evidence that intensive couples therapy works?

Yes. Growing evidence suggests that focused, immersive work offers a powerful alternative to traditional weekly sessions for many couples. Studies have demonstrated meaningful improvements in relationship functioning and satisfaction after intensive treatment (Ahlquist & Hargrave, 2021). Intensives are used across multiple therapeutic approaches and are sometimes referred to as marathons or retreat-style therapy.

Can we do the intensive online?

No. Couples therapy intensives are currently held in person only. The immersive nature of the work, 12 hours over two days, requires the physical presence, embodied engagement, and relational containment that is supported by being together in the room. If you’re seeking online support, I offer ongoing couples therapy via Zoom. Learn more about online couples therapy →

Do you offer individual therapy intensives?

No, I don’t currently offer individual intensives. However, I do provide ongoing individual therapy through online sessions. Learn more about individual therapy →

What if an intensive isn’t the right fit for us?

If an intensive doesn’t feel like the right approach, or if it’s not suitable for your situation, I also offer ongoing couples therapy through 80-minute online sessions. This format provides steady, sustained space to work through relationship challenges at a pace that allows for gradual integration and continued support over time. Learn more about online couples therapy →

Begin your journey towards healing, clarity, and renewed connection.

If you’re seeking a UK-based in-person couples therapy intensive, I provide a private, focused environment to help you rebuild communication, restore emotional connection, and address relationship challenges in real time.

Intensives are ideal for couples dealing with high conflict, infidelity repair, emotional disconnection, intimacy concerns, or major life transitions. If you’re seeking intensive couples counselling or a marriage therapy intensive, I offer compassionate, evidence-based support to help you strengthen your bond and move forward together.

Questions? Contact me or email francesca.sciandra.therapy@gmail.com.

References

Ahlquist, L.R. and Hargrave, T.D. (2021). Effectiveness of Restoration Therapy in an Intensive Model. The Family Journal, 30(3), p.106648072110524. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/10664807211052481.

Beasley, C.C. and Ager, R. (2019). Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy: A Systematic Review of Its Effectiveness over the past 19 Years. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 16(2), pp.144–159. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23761407.2018.1563013.

Johnson, S. M., Hunsley, J., Greenberg, L., & Schindler, D. (1999). Emotionally focused couples therapy: Status and challenges. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(1), 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.6.1.67