MORE TIME TOGETHER
Time changes what we can stay with.
There are conversations that can be difficult to fit into the rhythm of a regular therapy session. A Couples Intensive offers dedicated time to stay with the relationship, understand what is happening between you, and work with it while it is actually present in the room.
An intensive offers a different container. By dedicating several hours to the work, we move past the intellectual understanding and into the felt experience of the relationship. We have the space to stay with difficult emotions without the pressure of the clock, allowing for a deeper level of repair and stabilization than weekly therapy can typically provide.
This condensed format is designed to facilitate significant momentum, helping you move through impasse and develop new ways of relating that can be integrated into your daily lives immediately.
WHO MIGHT CHOOSE AN INTENSIVE?
When you want more time with the relationship.
Couples choose an intensive for different reasons. Some have been circling the same conversation for a long time. Others are moving through something significant, or simply want dedicated time to understand each other and their relationship more fully.
An intensive can give us room to stay with what matters without having to rush the conversation.
Recurring Patterns
When you understand what keeps happening between you, but knowing the pattern hasn’t necessarily changed what happens when you’re inside it.
Trust & Betrayal
When something has changed the relationship and you want dedicated time to understand its impact, what each of you needs, and what comes next.
A Crossroads or Transition
Marriage, parenthood, grief, changing roles, or another moment that has you thinking differently about your relationship and the life you are building together.
Intimacy & Connection
When you want to explore closeness, affection, sexuality, friendship, or how you experience one another.
Making Space for the Relationship
There doesn’t have to be a crisis. Some couples simply want to step outside the pace of everyday life and give their relationship their full attention for a while.
THE EXPERIENCE
A day dedicated to your relationship
Intensives usually take place over a full day (six hours of clinical time). We begin in the morning, take a generous break for lunch, and finish in the late afternoon. This avoids the 'cliffhanger' feeling of weekly sessions, where you finally get to the heart of something just as time runs out.
Suggested Schedule
9:00 AM
Morning Session: Landing, setting intentions, and mapping the relational cycle.
12:00 PM
Extended Mid-Day Break: Time to eat, walk, and integrate in the village of Navan.
1:30 PM
Afternoon Session: Working through core conflict areas and building new relational bridges.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
A day designed around your relationship.
01
BEFORE WE MEET
Pre-Intensive Work
Before the intensive, we’ll take time to understand what brings you here, what each of you is experiencing, and what you would like our time together to hold. This includes assessment and individual consultation so I can thoughtfully prepare for our day.
03
THE SETTING
Space to Slow Down
Our day takes place in my private office in Navan, just east of Ottawa and Orléans. The environment is quiet and comfortable, with time for breaks, lunch and stepping away from the work when needed.
04
AFTER THE INTENSIVE
Follow-Up & Integration
We’ll meet again several weeks later to return to what emerged during the intensive, notice what has shifted or become clearer, and consider what you would like to carry forward into your relationship.
02
OUR DAY TOGETHER
Dedicated Time for the Relationship
Approximately five hours of couples work, with intentional breaks throughout the day. Having this time allows us to stay with what is happening between you rather than repeatedly having to stop and begin again.
05
SOMETHING TO TAKE WITH YOU
Resources for Your Relationship
Where useful, I may offer relational questions, practices or resources shaped around what we explored together, giving you something concrete to continue working with after our time together.
The intensive extends beyond the hours we spend together. Our work begins before the day itself and includes time afterward to return to what emerged and consider what you would like to carry forward.
HOW I WORK
A focus on real-time relational dynamics
My approach moves beyond telling stories about the past to working with the relationship as it unfolds in front of us. I help you notice the split-second shifts in your tone, your posture, and your nervous system that either build safety or signal threat. By slowing down these interactions, we can identify the protective patterns that lead to impasse and practice new, pro-social ways of connecting. This is not about passive listening; it is an active, collaborative process of tracking how you impact one another and building the skills necessary to maintain a secure, resilient partnership.
A THOUGHTFUL FIT
Is an Intensive right for us?
Because of the concentrated nature of this work, an intensive isn't always the right first step. Some couples may be better served by weekly therapy to establish stability first, or may need specific crisis support that an intensive isn't designed for. We will determine if this format is a good fit for your relationship during our initial consultation.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
A private space for the two of you.
Relationships are sensitive. We are often more honest with ourselves and each other when the environment allows us to settle. For Ottawa intensives, I host couples in a private, thoughtfully curated professional space that offers quiet, natural light, and a sense of containment.
FINAL CTA
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