Are You Experiencing Terrible Pain And Heartbreak In Your Marriage?
Do you and your spouse have the same arguments over and over again without resolving anything? When you first got married, you were able to talk about everything with your partner, but now a pattern of critical, defensive communication has left you both feeling unheard, unloved, and often hugely resentful. Or maybe you are avoiding conversations with your partner for fear it will turn into another drawn-out argument, but that has only left you feeling more isolated and alone than ever.
It may seem like your partner doesn’t understand or care about your needs anymore, leaving you questioning yourself and your relationship. As the emotional and physical distance between you grows, it may reach a point that you or your partner is considering an affair or divorce. Or maybe infidelity has already traumatized your relationship and you are wondering if it’s possible to ever trust or be intimate with your spouse again.
When a relationship or marriage is in crisis, it can feel like nothing you do is ever good enough. It’s like you’re walking through an emotional desert, unable to find the support you need to get through each day. What was once such a meaningful part of your life has now become a source of deep pain. And when your marriage is on a knife’s edge, you don’t have the luxury of months to figure it out.
I understand that you’ve probably tried everything and just can’t seem to get it right. Fortunately, with my intensive two-day couples therapy retreat, you can restore your connection, resolve long-standing problems, and save your marriage without spending months and months trying to understand what’s going on. In just two days, you can restore the intimacy in your relationship, gain an understanding of where the anger is coming from, and learn how to avoid arguments and friction.
Many Couples Wait Too Long Before Asking For Help
The heartbreaking truth is that all married couples encounter challenges at times that leave one or both partners feeling unappreciated or unloved. And while some issues naturally work themselves out, other relational wounds can set a marriage on a course for a crisis if they aren’t addressed.
One of the biggest reasons marriage problems stay unresolved is the unwillingness to reach out for help. Men are taught from a young age to never show vulnerability, and asking for support can feel like an admission that they weren’t strong enough to figure things out on their own. It’s only when we realize that our relationship is on the edge that we see we need outside help. You can read more about how men will often block getting help and what to do about it here.
The sad reality is that none of us were born with the essential skills we need to navigate relationships. Many of us don’t have formal training in communication skills, and it’s easy to fall into hurtful patterns that leave us feeling hurt and disconnected. As a result, many couples wait years before seeking support. And by that time, it can feel like the damage to your marriage is irreparable.
Arthur and Claire
In fact, if you’re reading this page right now, chances are you’ve already been in real pain for a long time. You may have reached a point where it feels like separation or divorce is the only sensible thing to do. But breaking up a marriage is one of the single most devastating losses humans can endure, and the impact it can have on families and children is immense.
I know things may seem hopeless right now, but you can create lasting change in your marriage—and it doesn’t have to take months of therapy. By working together intensively for two whole days and with the guidance of a skilled, systems-based marriage counsellor, you can heal the wounds of the past and renew the relationship that you once enjoyed.
Intensive Couples Therapy Retreats Offer Fast And Sustainable Results
My marriage counselling retreats offer a caring, compassionate place where you and your spouse can be honest and have difficult conversations in a way that is both safe and constructive. It enables us to identify and dismantle the biggest obstacles that are keeping one or both of you from feeling heard and—more importantly—understood. Together, we will work on healing the underlying reasons for marital conflict while building skills and strategies you can use on your own to stay connected and overcome any future challenges.
Rather than simply parroting what you say back to you and asking how you feel about it, I teach you how to replace painful behaviour patterns with successful strategies so you and your partner can both have your personal needs met.
Some of the things we will work on are—
rebuilding your fondness and admiration for each other
turning complaints into clearly-communicated requests for creating immediate change
moving from defensiveness to accountability to de-escalate conflict instantly
breaking free of unhelpful misery stabilising patterns to get what you really need
applying containment boundaries and understanding why that is important
reigniting the intimacy, desire, and emotional connection in your marriage
Nicola and Rob
The benefit of an intensive marriage therapy retreat is that it gives us a chance to assess your situation, get to the root of the problem, and tailor a treatment strategy for maximum relief in a fraction of the time it would take in traditional weekly therapy sessions. Sitting down with me for one or two days can help you resolve longstanding problems and set you on a course where all you have to do is maintain your marriage rather than rescue it.
Whether you sign up for a two-day or single-day retreat, this intensive work gives your marriage a head start toward healing. Instead of spending months in therapy to learn new strategies or skills (time your marriage may not have), you and your partner can complete a huge percentage of that healing work over a short holiday in Sydney.
How Do Intensive Couples Retreats Work?
In order to get the most out of our one or two days together, I emphasize the importance of being honest and open about what is going wrong with your marriage. Rather than focusing on personal empowerment, my intensive marriage therapy retreats concentrate on relational empowerment, so you can get the help you need without feeling judged or blamed. I recognize that every relationship is unique, and the approach that works for one couple may not work for you. As such, I draw from a range of scientifically-supported approaches to ensure our work together is tailored to your specific needs as a couple.
I use a strategic family systems-based approach to help you understand the negative cycles affecting your relationship. Teaching you new skills to find fast relief and healing. I draw largely on my training as a Master Practitioner studying under Terry Real, one of the few therapists who can successfully pull couples back from the brink of divorce.
I am also trained in Sue Johnson’s Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), an evidence-based treatment strategy with an incredible success rate. EFT enables us to dismantle harmful relationship dynamics that may exist completely out of your awareness and replace them with something more constructive.
Additionally, my work is influenced by the Gottman Method, frequently considered one of the most effective treatment methods for couples. With over 40 years of research behind it, the Gottman Method offers scientifically proven skills and tools that can help repair and restore your marriage.
I’ve been helping clients heal their relationships for over 20 years. While many therapists who specialise in individual treatment also dabble with relationships, couples counselling is all I do. Mastery takes a huge amount of practice. I was co- presenter on Channel Nine’s “Last Resort” reality show where we rescued truly terrible marriages on camera. You don’t have to take my word for it, I have pages of success stories that prove you, too, can save your marriage. As someone who grew up in a train wreck of a family I know just how impactful divorce and separation can be for all concerned. Fortunately, a one- or two-day intensive marriage retreat offers you the unique opportunity to heal your relationship quickly while enhancing your connection in the long-term.
Lisa and Danny
Perhaps you’re considering an intensive couples therapy retreat but still have some concerns…
At this point, can anything save my marriage?
If I wasn’t sure healing is possible, I wouldn’t have made couples counselling my life’s work. Whether you want to strengthen your marriage or you’re one step away from divorce, I am confident that my researched-based approach to marriage counselling can provide you with tangible, concrete steps you can take to create lasting changes in how you communicate, resolve conflict, and connect emotionally in your marriage.
I’m worried that a two-day retreat will be too expensive.
I completely understand how you feel. And if it’s more relevant, we can do traditional once-a-week sessions. However, if your marriage is on a knife’s edge, you may need faster results than weekly sessions can provide. And though it may be an inconvenient truth, acting sooner rather than later will be much less expensive than the financial and emotional cost of divorce or a fractured family.
The reality is that many of us prioritize other aspects of our lives that are just as expensive as therapy but not nearly as crucial. Spending money on expensive homes, cars, or even pet breeds are all things that we have an easier time justifying than the health of our relationship when it should be the other way around.
What is your availability?
I am available weekdays and weekends for my one- and two-day intensive couples therapy retreats. If you prefer traditional weekly visits, I am also available on week days, weekends and early evenings. I am completely open to either approach. But if your relationship is in crisis, a two-day retreat can give you answers that would normally take months to grind out in weekly sessions. In just two days, you can gain the awareness, understanding, and tools you need to heal and protect your marriage for the rest of your lives.
As an added benefit, attending a retreat means you don’t have to worry about coordinating schedules with your spouse, dealing with traffic and commutes, or carving out an hour every week to visit a therapist. And with so many popular destinations near Sydney’s North Shore, you can turn your retreat into a holiday away from the daily stress that may be contributing to relationship challenges.
Let Me Help You Save Your Marriage
If you’re a couple looking for a relationship counselling retreat to help save your marriage, please contact my assistant to schedule a complimentary phone consultation. We can get acquainted, talk about the challenges you are facing, and address any questions you may have about my intensive approach to marriage counselling. My assistant can also help you figure out any details relating to the Sydney’s North Shore if you need input on things like hotels we’d recommend.
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