7 Best Marriage Intensives in 2025 (Expert Guide + Proven Model)
When your marriage feels strained, the usual hour-a-week therapy model may not deliver fast or lasting change. That’s why many couples are turning to marriage intensives in 2025 — highly focused, private retreats that compress months of therapy into just a few days. A well-designed intensive can help you: Leave with a clear roadmap for […]
Does Insurance Cover Infidelity Counseling? (What’s Typically Covered, What Isn’t, and Your Options)
The short answer Most health plans don’t cover “marriage” or “infidelity” counseling as a stand-alone service. Coverage usually applies only when therapy treats a diagnosable mental health condition (like PTSD, depression, or anxiety) and the sessions are medically necessary for that treatment.¹²⁶ When coverage exists, it’s generally for: Why marriage counseling is often excluded Insurance […]
How to Talk Your Partner Into Going on a Marriage Retreat (Without Starting a Fight)
Bringing up the idea of attending a marriage retreat can feel intimidating. Maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a while, hoping it could help you reconnect, resolve long-standing conflicts, or simply strengthen your bond. But you might worry about your partner’s reaction. Will they feel blindsided? Defensive? Will the conversation turn into yet another […]
Is Marriage Counseling Worth It After Infidelity? The ROI for Your Family—and Your Future
Infidelity doesn’t just injure two partners; it shakes the entire family system. The question, “Is counseling worth it?” isn’t only about saving a marriage—it’s about whether you’ll lower conflict, restore safety, and model honesty in ways that shape children’s lives for years to come. Structured, affair-focused therapy is associated with better trust, intimacy, and stability […]
Why Communication Breakdowns Are Best Solved at a Marriage Retreat
If you and your partner can’t seem to talk it out without turning everything into an argument, or worse, you’ve stopped talking altogether, it can feel like you’re stuck in an endless cycle. You’ve tried to communicate better, maybe even gone to weekly therapy sessions, but somehow the same misunderstandings, hurt feelings and frustrations keep […]
How Long Does Infidelity Recovery Take? A Weekly vs. 2-Day Intensive Timeline You Can Trust
Every couple is different. With weekly counseling, many feel some relief within weeks, and deeper rebuilding often takes 12–24 months. With a 2-day intensive plus our focused follow-ups, early calm and clarity can come much faster, and many couples solidify change in 6–12 months—as long as there’s no “trickle truth,” real accountability, and daily practice. […]
Weekly Couples Therapy vs. 2-Day Affair Recovery Bootcamp (with Follow-Ups): Which Helps Faster—And Lasts?
After an affair, most couples ask the same thing: should we do weekly couples therapy or a focused weekend? This guide compares weekly counseling with our 2-Day Affair Recovery Bootcamp—with eight 90-minute follow-ups so momentum doesn’t fade. You’ll see who each path fits, how structured disclosure (to prevent “trickle truth”) works, and what progress typically […]
Can a Therapist Tell You to Leave Your Partner?
It’s a question many people ask in a moment of crisis: Can a therapist tell you to leave your partner? And unfortunately, the answer is: Yes — and it happens far too often. We wrote in detail about this in our article “How My Therapist Destroyed My Marriage”, where we explore real stories of individuals […]
Best Therapy for Infidelity: What Works (and When)
By Rabbi Shlomo Slatkin, LCPC — Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Advanced Imago Relationship Therapist, and co-founder of The Marriage Restoration Project. For more than 20 years, he’s helped couples transform hopeless marriages into lasting connection through structured dialogue and emotional safety. When an affair is discovered, couples don’t need generic advice—they need a specialized, structured approach […]
Marriage Counseling for Infidelity: How Couples Heal After Betrayal
Infidelity is one of the most painful crises a couple can face. As a licensed marriage therapist who has spent over two decades working exclusively with couples, I’ve seen firsthand how betrayal shakes the very foundation of a relationship. The betrayed partner often experiences trauma symptoms—intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, and a loss of trust—that are overwhelming […]
Affair Recovery Bootcamp: Heal Faster After Infidelity
By Rabbi Shlomo Slatkin, LCPC — Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Founder of The Marriage Restoration Project Infidelity can shatter trust, security, and intimacy at the core of a relationship. For many couples, the aftermath feels overwhelming—how do you rebuild when the foundation itself feels broken? An affair recovery bootcamp offers an intensive, structured approach that […]
Is Marriage Counseling Cheaper Than Divorce? Here’s What the Numbers Say
When couples reach a breaking point, one of the first practical questions that comes up is: Is marriage counseling cheaper than divorce? While the answer may seem obvious from a purely emotional perspective — “of course it’s worth saving a marriage if you can” — the financial data adds another layer of urgency. Divorce is […]
Questions to Ask Before Booking a Couples Therapy Weekend
When couples contact me about attending my private marriage retreat, the first thing I tell them is this: not all couples therapy weekends are created equal. The right one can be life-changing; the wrong one can feel like an expensive disappointment. If you’re going to invest the time, money, and emotional energy into a multi-day […]
What Is Involved in an Intensive Couples Therapy Weekend?
When couples are stuck in patterns of conflict or emotional distance — or facing a potential breakup — an intensive couples therapy weekend can offer a powerful reset. Unlike weekly one-hour sessions, this format condenses months of progress into just a few days, allowing partners to move past surface-level issues and address the deeper roots […]
The Silent Killers of Marriage That Retreats Help Uncover
Some marriages don’t end with a bang – they fade away quietly. There are no explosive fights or dramatic betrayals and on the surface, everything might look fine. You still share a home, maybe even share laughs with friends and family. But under the surface, subtle emotional patterns are eroding the foundation of your relationship. […]
Imago vs. EFT vs. Gottman: What Works Best in a Weekend Retreat?
If you’re considering a couples therapy weekend, you’ll quickly encounter three names over and over: Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and The Gottman Method. All are evidence-based approaches, but they differ in focus, process, and what you might experience in a compressed weekend retreat format. In this guide, we’ll break down the […]
Does Intensive Marriage Counseling Work? What Research and Real Couples Say
If your marriage is facing serious challenges, you may be wondering, “Does intensive marriage counseling work?” The short answer is: Yes, it absolutely can — if you’re ready to do the work. Intensive marriage counseling, like the 2-day private retreats we offer at The Marriage Restoration Project, is an effective and transformative solution for couples […]
Is an Intensive Retreat Worth It for Empty Nesters? Here’s What the Research Says
Becoming empty nesters can feel like a seismic shift—suddenly, the constant hum of parenting is gone, and you’re rediscovering life with your spouse in a quiet house. While this transition can be a relief, it often brings unexpected emotional challenges, disconnection, or identity shifts¹. An intensive couples retreat can offer focused, transformational support during this […]
Are Multi-Day Intensive Couples Counseling Sessions More Effective Than Weekly One-Hour Sessions?
By Rabbi Shlomo Slatkin, LCPC — Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor & Founder of The Marriage Restoration Project Why the Format Matters The structure of therapy affects the depth of change. Traditional weekly therapy offers 50-minute conversations spread out over months. It’s steady but often interrupted—progress made one week can unravel before the next appointment. Research […]
What Couples Therapy Weekend Should I Do?
When couples search for a weekend retreat, they’re often at a crossroads — wondering if this might be the turning point that saves their relationship. The challenge? Not all couples therapy weekends are created equal. Some focus on education and group discussion, others on private, intensive therapy sessions. The best fit depends on your specific […]