The Weekend Couples Retreat

Restore your relationship in the city of [brotherly] love.

Intensive Couples Therapy in philadelphia, pennsylvania

About Intensive Couples Therapy Weekends

Our expert therapists are scheduling appointments for private intensive couples therapy sessions (also known as “marathon therapy”). You can restore your relationship while taking a mini vacation together in the bustling city of Philadelphia.

Intensive Couples Therapy is a specific type of therapy that is short-term and intensive. Its purpose is to help resolve your current crisis or a specific issue in the relationship. In this powerful therapy format, one couple meets with one of our highly trained couples therapists for 2-3 days for 5-6 hours a day. We utilize Gottman Method Therapy at our office.

Who is it for?

We have worked with every type of couples during our intensive couples therapy weekends. From newlyweds to people celebrating a 50th anniversary, from people who feel connected and in love but want to be proactive to couples who have been arguing and hurting each other for years and are unsure if they should stay together. It is a method of therapy that can be helpful for most couples.

Intensive couples therapy can be for couples who…

• have experienced a violation or betrayal

• have high levels of conflict

• are considering divorce

• have gone through a recent life transition, such as having a baby, making a big move, or experiencing a loss

• disagree on one or more major issues and find themselves gridlocked and unable to move forward

• have felt distance for a long time and aren’t sure how to jump start the relationship

• find themselves too busy to do weekly sessions or have tried weekly sessions in the past only to feel worse or unfulfilled at the end of each seession.

The Structure:

The structure of each therapy day varies depending on your relationship.

Assessment:

Prior to your intensive weekend, you will complete a thorough written assessment. This assessment is designed to provide your therapist with insight into your relationship and also into each person individually. During the first day of the intensive, you will undergo a continuation of the assessment which includes meeting as a group and meeting individually with the therapist. This assessment is an irreplaceable tool for providing both you and your therapist essential insight into your strengths as well as areas of greatest need, allowing them to completely tailor the intensive therapy to your specific needs and goals.

Feedback:

After completing the assessment, you will receive the results of the assessment and feedback for your relationship during the first day. The feedback will be provided based on research backed science related to healthy relationships. You will learn about your strengths and the areas in which you struggle as a couple. Your therapist will provide you information about how these different areas are impacting your relationship and what can be done to address it.

During this feedback time, you will also be learning about what makes relationships work and how to utilize the science of relationships to improve your own.

Intervention:

Once you’ve completed the assessment process and received feedback, the rest of your weekend will include “intervention exercises”. Intensive sessions are highly interactive and include the therapist guiding you through important conversations. You will learn through these conversations the important skills that you can do at home when you have completed therapy.

You will also be offered interventions related to your specific issues, for example, if you are struggling with betrayal you might spend the weekend learnign how to restore trust.

Plan for the future

At the end of the intensive weekend, you will talk with your therapist about your plan for the future. This might include homework, recommendations for further therapy, or other recommendations for support.

About Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a bustling city full of top hotels, restaurants, night life, culture, and entertainment.

Couples who stay in Philadelphia, spend the time outside of the intensive sessions:

• Shopping at the unique stores

• Eating meals at top notch restaurants

• Taking walks along The Parkway, resting in Rittenhouse Square, or exploring Fairmount Park

• Enjoying entertainment, like catching a show at Walnut Street Theater

• Resting in one of our many top hotels

• Visiting a spa

Places to stay

There are many places to stay in Philadelphia while you spend 2-3 days with us for your intensive. Unique hotels and AIRBNB’s across the city are available for your stay.

Nearby hotels

There are many hotels within walking distance to the office. A few options are:

• The W Philadelphia

• Sofitel

• The Four Seasons

• The Bellevue

• Cambria

Neighborhoods to explore

If you like to explore, you might want to stay in another neighborhood further away from Center City. Popular neighborhoods with hotels and accommodations include:

1. The Gayborhood (walking distance)

2. Society Hill (walking distance)

3. Fishtown

4. Northern Liberties

5. Fairmount

6. Old City
   

The Therapists

Each therapist is highly trained in providing not only couples therapy but also intensive couples therapy. The following therapists provide intensive couples therapy.

Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT, CGT

Provides intensive therapy in New Hope, PA, Ardmore, PA, or Center City, Philadelphia

Elizabeth is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy and Certified Gottman Therapist. She specializes in working with high achievers who struggle with the impact of stress in their lives. She is trained in trauma focused therapy, perinatal mental health (pregnancy loss, pregnancy stressors, and postpartum), and betrayal.

You can read more about Elizabeth here.

2 Day intensive: $5,000.00

3 Day Intensive: $6,000.00

Eman Almusawi, LMFT

Provides intensive therapy in New Hope, Pennsylvania or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Eman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with up to Level 2 training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. She specializes in trauma, sexual issues, cross cultural issues, parenting and treating affairs.

You can read more about Eman here.

2 Day Intensive: $3,500.00

3 Day Intensive: $4,400.00

Deirdre Cosgrove, LMFT

Provides intensive therapy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Galloway, New Jersey

Deirdre is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She utilizes Gottman Method in her sessions. She specializes in trauma, perinatal mental health (pregnancy loss, postpartum issues, and pregnancy related stressors).

You can read more about Deirdre here.

2 Day Intensive: $3,000.00

3 Day Intensive: $3,800.00

Folashade Adekunle, LPC

Provides intensive therapy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Folashade provides couples therapy utilizing Emotionally Focused Therapy and The Gottman Method. She specializes in grief, trauma, coparenting, LGBTQ specific issues, infidelity, and consensually non-monogamous and poly relationships.

You can read more about Folashade here.

2 Day Intensive: $2,500.00

3 Day Intensive: $3,000.00

Booking an intensive couples weekend

To book an intensive weekend or to ask questions, please email our office at info@abetterlifetherapy.com.

We provide intensive couples therapy weekends in:

• New Hope, Pennsylvania

• Ardmore, Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Galloway, New Jersey ( The Jersey Shore)