Relationship
Intensives
Couples Intensive Therapy in Portland and Online, for Partners of All Relationship Structures
Relationship distress is its own particular kind of hard.
It's not just that things are difficult. It's that the place you used to turn to for comfort and support is the place where things are breaking down. That's a specific kind of exhausting that weekly therapy can struggle to keep up with, especially when each session barely has time to get into anything before it's over.
Relationship Intensives are designed to create real movement in a short amount of time, for couples and partners who need more than incremental progress or can't afford a slow start.
This page is written for couples, but this work is available for any relationship structure, including poly and open relationships and family members. Wherever there's a relationship that matters and something that needs to move, this applies.
Why Weekly Couples Therapy Stalls
A typical 50-minute couples session breaks down something like this:
10-15 minutes catching up making sure each person has had a chance to speak to where they are. Often more, because both people need space to share their perspective before anything else can happen.
Each person also has to edit themselves in real time, managing what they say and how they say it in front of their partner, which means perspectives get truncated before they're fully out.
25 minutes of actually being in the issue together, working through it with coaching and support.
5-10 minutes closing, and often identifying threads to pick up next time.
That's about 25 minutes of fully focused couples work per session.
And then something new happens during the week. A new rupture, a new conversation, a new thing that feels urgent. The next session starts over. A weekly structure isn’t bad, it just isn’t as focused.
Across the two 3-hour couples blocks in a Relationship Intensive, you get the focused processing equivalent of about 12.5 weeks of weekly couples therapy. Add the individual Brainspotting work each person does, and each partner gets the equivalent of roughly 6 weeks of individual Brainspotting sessions. All of it in a few days rather than spread across months.
1 relationship intensive
with intake + follow-up
=
12.5 weeks of couples therapy
in focused processing time
(rough equivalent)
What Makes This Different
Most couples therapy addresses what's happening between two people. That's necessary. But it often doesn't have room to address what each person is carrying individually that keeps the dynamic stuck.
The individual Brainspotting sessions in this package exist specifically for that. The reflexes, the triggers, the attachment patterns, the limiting beliefs about what's possible in relationships or about yourself as a partner. Those things don't resolve through couples work alone, and they're often exactly what's in the way of the relationship moving forward.
This is also why I do thorough individual intakes with each person before the couples work begins.
Ninety minutes each, individually, before we ever sit down together.
That intake isn't just logistics. It's a space where each person can say what's actually going on for them in this relationship, what they want, what they're scared of, what they've been holding back, without managing how it lands in front of their partner. It also gives me a much fuller picture of where each person is and where the individual Brainspotting work needs to go.
The sequencing of couples sessions and Brainspotting sessions isn't fixed. Sometimes we do the couples work first and then use the individual Brainspotting to process what came up. Sometimes individual Brainspotting happens first and clears something that was blocking the couples work. I read what each situation needs and structure accordingly.
Why People Choose a Relationship Intensive
The relationship doesn't have the runway for a slow start.
Sometimes you're not in a place where you can ease into therapy over several weeks while things continue to deteriorate. The weight of current patterns makes it hard to imagine things improving gradually. An intensive creates real movement fast enough that people can actually feel the shift rather than wondering if therapy is working.
Something significant just happened and you need to get in front of it.
A disclosure of infidelity. A major rupture. Intense attachment stress in a poly or open relationship, the kind that comes up around autonomy versus attachment safety. These are moments where slow and incremental is genuinely not the right tool. An intensive creates a contained space to do serious work on something serious before it hardens into a new normal.
You're not sure if things can change and you want to find out.
Sometimes people come to a Relationship Intensive not because they're committed to staying, but because they want to know if change is actually possible before they make a decision either way. That's a legitimate reason to be here. The intensive gives you real information about what's possible in this relationship rather than months of gradual progress that may or may not lead anywhere.
Weekly therapy hasn't been moving things the way you hoped.
You've been doing the work. Sessions are fine. And something still feels stuck at a level that conversation isn't reaching. The combination of couples work and individual Brainspotting is specifically designed for that, working on both the dynamic between you and the individual patterns each person brings to it.
You want to do this work in person.
Like all of my intensive work, Relationship Intensives can be done in person. I'll travel to you, wherever you are. If you're coming through Portland, we can work wherever you're staying. If you're elsewhere, we can talk about what makes sense. Travel fees are included in the arrangement.
How It's Structured
We start with a 30-minute consultation together to assess fit and get a sense of what you're bringing.
Then each person has a 90-minute individual intake with me before the couples work begins. This is private, individual time to speak freely and make sure I understand each person's full picture before we sit down together.
The intensive itself includes:
Two 3-hour couples sessions
One 3-hour individual Brainspotting session for each person
The sequencing of these sessions is flexible and based on what your situation calls for. We'll figure that out together.
Investment:
$5,250 for the full 15 hour package (includes consultation, both 90 minute intakes, two 3 hour couples sessions, and 3 hours of individual Brainspotting for each person)
This is priced at a higher rate than regular sessions for the same reasons individual intensives are. Significant preparation, scheduling outside regular hours, and a level of sustained focus across multiple sessions and relationships that's different from weekly work.
Insurance & Relationship Intensives:
If you have out-of-network benefits that cover working with me, portions or all of the package can potentially be billed to insurance. The first hour of each block are the most straightforward to bill. Depending on what you're working on, there may be additional options for coverage. Reach out before committing if you want to talk through what might apply to your situation.
Payment plans are available and I am working on offering financing. If you have questions about what's included or whether this is the right fit, that's what the consultation is for.
Questions I Get
Is this available for non-traditional relationship structures?
Yes. This work is available for couples in any relationship structure, including poly and open relationships. The dynamics are different and I'm familiar with them. If you're navigating attachment stress, autonomy conflicts, or communication breakdowns specific to non-monogamy, this is a space that can hold that.
What if we're not sure we want to stay together?
You don't have to be sure. Some people come in wanting to repair things. Some come wanting to know if repair is possible. Some come wanting to separate more cleanly. All of those are workable starting points. We'll figure out what the work is once we're in it.
Do both people have to be fully on board?
Both people need to be willing to show up and do the work. They don't need to have the same goals or the same level of hope. Ambivalence is fine. Resistance is something we can work with. What doesn't work is one person going through the motions without any genuine engagement.
Can the couples work and Brainspotting happen on the same day?
Sometimes yes, depending on what's needed and how people are doing. We'll assess as we go. The structure is a framework, not a rigid schedule.
Is this available in person?
Yes. I'll travel to do in-person Relationship Intensives. Reach out to discuss location and logistics.
Ready to Talk?
A 30-minute consultation is the starting point. We'll talk through what's going on, whether this format makes sense for your situation, and what the work might look like.
No pressure to commit to anything before that conversation.
Book a free consultation and let's talk.