Intensive Couples Therapy
Short time commitment.
Long lasting impact.
Imagine having the chance to face your toughest relationship challenges with an expert right there by your side, knowing you have the time to actually work it through and not worry that the hour is almost up.
No waiting until next week with the conversation incomplete.
No backsliding in between sessions or getting stuck in rehashing issues.
An opportunity to actually work through issues in your relationship-even long-standing ones.
That’s what a Couples or Sex Therapy Intensive can offer you.
Communication issues have built up over time and you haven’t been able to carve time out for ongoing therapy.
You have so much going on–kids, career, aging parents–it’s hard to get out of the daily grind long enough to focus on your relationship.
Your sex life isn’t working for either of you but it feels so difficult to even talk about it, let alone make progress.
You have a big change on the horizon–a new child, marriage, a move–you want to deeply understand your and your partner’s perspective ahead of time.
You are experiencing changes in your medical, sexual, or mental health, and you want to explore how to navigate that consciously in the relationship.
You want to work with someone experienced in working with different relationship structures, as well as varied sexual and gender identities and orientations.
Do any of these sound like you?
Hi, I’m Dr. Jennifer Johnston
I value weekly therapy sessions, but for some sensitive or complex topics, an hour a week doesn’t always get to the heart of things.
An intensive gives you the space, security, skills, and time to fully work through important but often set aside or, frankly, avoided, topics.
Intensives can help with topics like:
Forgiveness for a betrayal or other emotional injury.
Getting to the root of long-standing sexual issues and reclaim sexual connection and pleasure.
Being able to understand yourself and your partners’ experience about emotional subjects such as finances, parenting, and past relational hurts that still fester no matter how you’ve tried to work it out.
Learning how to manage yourself, work together in the inevitable conflicts that arise, and to celebrate your differences rather than feel threatened by them.
As a highly-trained psychologist with over 25 years of experience, I have the skills to help couples navigate these issues and more.
“What exactly is a Couples Intensive?”
A Couples Intensive is focused therapy that happens in a condensed timeframe, typically from a half-day up to two days.
The exact amount of time is determined in our assessment and planning phase, based on your goals and history.
Couples Intensives use research-backed modalities and proven strategies to help you and your partner understand yourselves, learn skills for addressing the challenges you face and practice those skills so you feel confident leaving the intensive knowing exactly how to respond in real life.
“What is a Sex Therapy Intensive?”
Sex can be a really difficult issue, even for the most loving, committed partners.
As a Certified Sex Therapist (CST) I am happy to offer intensives that are focused on your sexual wellbeing to help you get to the heart of issues such as:
Mismatched levels of desire
Low libido
Erectile dysfunction
Sexual pain issues
Sexual changes related to age, medical issues, medication, trauma, or mental health issues.
Finding the core of the emotional pain and disconnect related to your relationship and sexual issues.
Though it may seem counterintuitive, to improve your relationship, you need to become more fully yourself.
When you understand and embrace your needs, desires (and your own stuff!) more fully, you can connect more deeply with your partner and bring more to the relationship. This authenticity translates into a closer, more vibrant sex and relational life.
“What happens when we get started?”
I will bring my experience in connection, personal growth, trauma, and sex therapy towards your needs. I’ll customize the intensive for you based on your shared hopes.
Step One: Initial Call
Before setting up an intensive, I will talk to one or both of you on the phone.
Step Two: Zoom Meeting
If we want to move forward after our initial call, we’ll have a 30 minute Zoom meeting with the two of you, to discuss the length and focus of the intensive.
Step Three: Scheduling & Prep
If we decide to move forward we’ll schedule your Intensive and then you will receive forms for each of you to complete. These forms will help me customize the Intensive.
Step Four: The Intensive
The intensive will be held in my office in Cambridge, MA near Harvard Sq. For the mini intensives, there will be either a 30 minute or two 15 minute breaks, depending on your needs. Longer intensives will have a 1 hour lunch time and morning and afternoon 15 minute breaks.
Step Five: Follow-up (Optional)
Although not part of the intensive, follow up can be helpful to deal with applying skills and strategies “in the real world” or managing issues that have come up since the intensive.
If we decide this is helpful, this can be discussed.
Is Intensive Therapy right for you and your partner?
My goal is for the intensive to be a space where you can be truly seen, fully heard and can grow. To do that, here are some of things you’ll need to be ready for:
Prep work leading up to the Intensive
Commitment to working towards the agreed upon goals during the Intensive
Implementing what you’ve learned and practiced in the Intensive to see real and lasting change
The financial and time investment of doing profound therapy in a short timeframe
Willingness to dig deep within in self-reflect to move forward from stuck patterns, unresolved wounds, and unwinnable power struggles
How do we know if an Intensive is
not right for us?
Although there are many other great ways to work on the issues below, these are not recommended for an intensive.
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Intensives are deep work, and offer a huge opportunity for both personal growth and relational change. They require you to acknowledge your own needs, wants, and desires, and be open to truly hearing and seeing your partner.
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Discernment Counseling is a better fit for you before embarking on an Intensive. If you decide you want to stay in and work on the relationship, then an intensive after discernment counseling may make sense.
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Such as physical or emotional violence in the relationship, suicidality or homicidality, or active substance abuse.
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If an infidelity has been discovered and both partners have recommitted to returning their full energy to the relationship, an intensive may be helpful.
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You will get the best result from an Intensive if you are able to regulate emotions during the process and handle what may surface during the work. It is important to be aware that the nature of an intensive is to bring up vulnerable and often painful issues, and this can be distressing.
Investment
Mini Intensive: 4.5 hours plus preparation: $1800
One Day Intensive: 8 hours plus preparation: $3500
Two Day Intensive: 15 hours plus preparation: $5500
Required deposit: A non-refundable deposit of 50% is required to hold your date, with the balance due the day prior to your Intensive.
Cancellation policy: I do appreciate that unforeseen circumstances happen, so if you need to cancel or change the dates of your Intensive, and you have let me know outside of 7 business days, I will make every effort to reschedule. If you cancel within 24 hours or do not show up for the session, you will be charged the remaining 50% fee of the intensive.
You want to know you are with someone who can help you make the most of your investment.
Some things you may want to know about me and my background:
I have over 25 years of clinical experience
I’m certified in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT)
I’m a Certified Sex Therapist (CST)
I am trained the Developmental Model for Couples
Give yourselves a gift that can provide value for years. Uninterrupted, focused, intentional time dedicated to your relationship.
I get that this is a big investment. If you are ready to commit to putting in the work for things to change, then I am here for you.