Say Goodbye To Couples Sessions That Go Nowhere...

While working a fraction of the time, having more job satisfaction,
and making more money than you ever thought possible

Every couples therapist can relate to this: the session is ending and you've just barely started making progress.

Your couple leaves in the middle of getting their hearts ripped open, and you know they’re headed for another week of feeling stuck, in crisis, arguing, and triggering each other.
And you wonder,

“Did I help them at all?”
“Why do I feel so exhausted?”

Session after session, week after week… and six months (or years) later, the couples are still having the same conflicts, they’re still recycling the same hurt feelings, and they’re still not having sex.

Each time you meet, they come back and tell you about the fight of the week, and you spend precious time wrangling them so they stop blaming.

It’s a recipe for burnout for you — and a straight shot to misery for your clients.

Since you’re the one whose job it is to help them, you’ll get the blame when their short sessions fail them.

(And that means they won’t recommend you to their friends.)
This isn’t why you became a therapist/coach. You wanted to help people be happier, to help them grow, heal, and have breakthroughs.
Now you’re dreading another week of slow progress in hourly sessions with difficult couples — and you’re asking yourself the uncomfortable question…

“Is it them or is it me?”

If only this feeling of being an imposter was the worst of it. But spending decades of your life dreading your work is worse. And having clients quit before you can help them is very painful.

But the truth is that there’s only so much you can do in a 50-minute or even a 2-hour session with distressed couples.

The current model of couples therapy is broken.

Not only that, it’s almost unethical.

When a couple comes to you for help, it’s usually for an urgent issue.

They're fighting. They can't communicate. They're tired of feeling like roommates. Or maybe they just recently found out about an infidelity. And without help, they may be headed for breakup or divorce.
They don't have months or years to work towards a resolution. But that’s exactly what the conventional therapy model of hourly (or even 45-minute) sessions, offers…
A chance to stir things up just in time for you to say, “We’re out of time.”

Couples deserve more than that. And so do you.

It’s time for a new way of helping couples that gets you excited about your work again.

Which brings us to...

A therapy model that actually works — for you and your couples.

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Introducing Couples Intensives

Learn to lead 2-day Couples Intensives to change your clients’ lives – and your life, too.

The most successful therapists know that client breakthroughs take time.

But it doesn’t have to take months or years. It can happen in 2 days.
Today’s busy couples are looking for something different.

We created and structured couples intensives for therapists and coaches who need to help their clients now (while earning more and working less).

Get Everything You Need To Make A Pivot In Your Practice

Use the Developmental Model to lead 2-day Couples Intensives. Some of our graduates are getting creative and using what they've learned to lead 1-dayand 4-hour Intensives.
Plus, become part of a community of top-tier therapists and get ongoing support so you can be the best therapist your clients ever had.

Switch from time wasted in short sessions to...

Having More Energy

Forget feeling drained after cycling through back-to-back couples sessions every day. Couples Intensives lead to energizing breakthroughs that make work fun and rewarding.

Working Less

Offering Couples Intensives gives you the income and flexibility to work as little or as much as you want. What will you do with your new freedom?

More Effectiveness

Take couples through a process that does more in two days than what can be accomplished in months of therapy. That means more job satisfaction for you, and more happy couples who rave about you to others — so you could be booked out with Couples Intensives in a matter of months.

Increased Income

A Couple Intensive is not the same as weekly therapy, so pricing is different. Therapists can easily charge $4,000-$8,000 for a 2-day session and many couples are overjoyed to sign up because they see the value of getting their relationship out of the weeds. (We teach you how to communicate the value in a way that your couples can understand.)

More Freedom In Your Schedule

Want to only work on weekends or two days during the week? Offering Couples Intensives gives you the freedom to work when you want, without gaps in your schedule while you wait for your next session.

Confidence That You’re Using A Model That Works

The Developmental Model has been used with proven results for 35 years. Now we’ve refashioned it into a brand new way of helping couples that’s revolutionizing the psychotherapy field.

Do you want to enjoy your job more, make a bigger impact, earn more money, have more free time, and be a part of something that’s changing the world?

SAVE MY SEAT

“This is one of the best things I have ever done.”

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Where do you want to be a few months from now?

Proud of all you've accomplished for your clients and the new career path you've taken? Or feeling drained by short couples sessions where barely any progress is made? (And earning way less income than you could.)

It’s time to try something different.

The Couples Intensives Training is the fastest, most effective, and most satisfying way to fall in love with your work again.

Here’s What Therapists Are Saying…

“This is one of the best things I have ever done.”

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“I see couples falling in love again.”

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TESTIMONIALS

“The intensives training has fundamentally changed the way I work with couples. Less than a year after doing the training my entire practice is different. I’m never going back to the 50 minute couples therapy hour. I’ve seen more progress with this approach and I’m also making more money than I did before. And the support and expertise of Lori, Ellyn and the group is priceless. You have high value consultation just an email away and everyone has been so generous and supportive.”

Tom Bruett, MS, LMFT
Boulder, CO Pronouns: he/him/his

“Lori and Ellyn’s Couples Intensives Training completely transformed my approach as a therapist. The course equipped me with invaluable tools and techniques to skillfully guide couples through transformative experiences. Thanks to this training, my confidence has soared, and I feel fully prepared to help couples navigate their challenges and foster healthier relationships. I’ve already facilitated two intensives, and the couples were elated with the powerful changes they experienced. I wholeheartedly recommend this training to fellow therapists seeking impactful results.”

Leanne Clarkson RPC
Vancouver, Canada

“This training has positioned me to take my practice of 30 years in a new and exciting direction. Lori and Ellyn provide a comprehensive and supportive training, and are always available for followup if I have questions. I’ve also met a warm community of other therapists who are working in a similar direction. I highly recommend this training to anyone who is interested in integrating intensives into a new or established practice.”

Jane Moses
Port Saint Lucie, FL

Where do you want to be a few months from now?

Proud of all you've accomplished for your clients and the new career path you've taken? Or feeling drained by short couples sessions where barely any progress is made? (And earning way less income than you could.)

It’s time to try something different.

The Couples Intensives Training is the fastest, most effective, and most satisfying way to fall in love with your work again.

Be part of this new group of therapists who are forging an exciting new path.

In the Couples Intensives Training, you’ll get everything you need to start offering Couples Intensives right away.

Plus, get our best BONUS yet – a full year inside our exclusive support community. You'll get follow up training sessions with Ellyn and Lori and marketing and writing help for your website.

And you'll get to know your fellow Intensives Trailblazers: graduates who have been where you are now. You can lean on them for encouragement and learn from their wisdom. And we'll remind you that you're on the right track. You won't be finding your way alone.

What You’ll Learn In the Three 4-Hour Day Couples Intensives Training

01

How to talk to potential clients so they enthusiastically sign up

Not only will you learn how to lead a Couple Intensive, you’ll learn how to get new clients on board. Get specific talking points and guidance to explain Intensives to new and existing clients in a way that gets you both excited.

02

How to market Couples Intensives so couples come to you

How do you get known for doing Couples Intensives so you can just work a few days a month? We’ll show you the best free ways to get your name out so you get a steady stream of couples who want to work with you.

03

The complete process from booking Couples Intensives to holding them

You’ll learn how to screen for dream clients and say, “No thank you” to clients who aren’t a good fit. Get specific questions to ask on consultation calls so you feel like a confident pro every step of the way.

04

Handling questions and objections

Learn exactly what to say if you’re asked tough questions like “Is there a guarantee?” We’ll give you exact scripts so you won’t feel stumped. Instead you can focus on helping your clients.

05

Setting the tone before a Couples Intensive

One of the best parts of doing Couples Intensives is getting to create a transformative experience for your clients. So you’ll learn how to take care
of your client’s pre-Intensives jitters
and assure them that they’re on the
right track.

06

Increasing your confidence as a strong leader

We’ll give you the exact process and handouts to use to establish your role as a confident therapist who’s an expert at helping clients get the most out of their time with you.

Get everything you need to guide your couples to have a transformative and highly personalized experience.

07

How to set your fee and collect it

The money conversation can be daunting unless you’ve learned how to handle it with ease. This is crucial because without this skill you could be undercharging for years – or wind up chasing down clients for payment. We’ll share our exact steps to make the entire process seamless.

08

Getting referrals

Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get booked. Learn how to network effectively to your existing community so you can build your reputation as the therapist whose
Couples Intensives are in high demand.

09

How to determine if you’re doing the follow-up or if you want to refer out

Do you want to do only the initial Couples Intensives, and not the follow-up? Or do you want to see your clients through? We’ll guide you to determine the best use of your time so you can work as little or as much as you want.

10

Offering 1-day and 4-hour Intensives to cater to your couple's unique needs

Our graduates are taking the resource binders and everything they've learned to lead shorter Intensives that cater to their couple's needs. We'll give you options to choose from the material so you can offer mini-intensives and follow-ups to get incredible results that last.

GET ALL THE
HANDOUTS TO LEAD A COUPLES INTENSIVE

Leading Couples Intensives is a step-by-step process that quickly builds trust between you and the couple.
During your training, you’ll get the complete set of handouts in the sequential order that works — so you can create safety for your clients and set them up to do deep work.

Rather than making up your own structure and wondering if it will be effective, you’ll receive a proven roadmap to make it easy to run a Couples Intensive from start to finish.

Empathy and insight are not enough to facilitate significant change.

Therapists are often trained to be empathetic, but these interventions are not sufficient to create enduring change. Couples need tools and skill sets. They need to understand how to change their brains.

That’s why we teach you to go beyond empathy and insight.

You’ll get the skills to become a strong leader who can confidently guide your couples to have big realizations.

Therapy is an art, meaning no two Intensives will be the same.

We’ll show you the exact steps to lead a Couple Intensive, but you’ll also learn how to pivot depending on whatever comes up.
You’ll get the tools to steer the ship so you can get to the real issues — rather than letting clients get distracted, recycle the same arguments, or hijack the process. This makes your job much more fun and energizing because you’re doing the real work rather than putting out fires.
And you’ll know without a doubt that by the end of Day Two, your couples will feel remarkably different than they did at the start.

TESTIMONIALS

“This course has been a game changer for me. It has given me the tools, the motivation and the support to do the shift that I’ve wanted to do for years and start moving away from the weekly model. You walk out of the course with everything you might need to start doing intensives the next day.”

Dr. Miriam Torress Brinkman

“The intensive training was helpful in several ways. Waking through the detailed structure and process really provided a platform and confidence in offering an intensive. I have been offering intensives since 2020; however, this training expanded my own view on how creative you can be in offering and carrying out an intensive. The training also gave me a deeper knowledge of the richness of the developmental model and rekindled my own learning the model more deeply. So this is a training, and we have all been to trainings, what made this one stand out was how Ellyn and Lori were focused on making us successful in using an intensive in our own practices. That part was priceless! The journey continues with bi monthly meetings with fellow attendees to help actualize intensives in our practices. There is a lot more to this training than the cost!”

Timothy C. Donovan, MSW, LCSW-C, Baltimore, MD
Certified Gottman Therapist Certified Discernment Counseling AANE Certified Neurodiverse Couples Therapist Diplomate, Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies

“The material presented during this training has informed my work with couples in a manner that results in greater individual accountability, skill development, intimacy and relationship fulfillment. Ellyn and Lori’s style makes the integration of individual and couple dynamics accessible, insightful, and helpful. They provide examples of how those ideas and the support of differentiation can be applied with couples during an intensive. It is a great balance of theoretical and practical training. The materials included with the training are well thought out, organized and ready to use. I felt empowered after this training to support couples in cultivating their own empowerment through a couples intensive.”

Catherine Mollner, MA, LP, SEP, DARe, St. Paul, MN

Imagine just a few months from now you…

  • Feel confident that you’re making a major difference in your couples’ lives.
  • Have more energy and enthusiasm about your work.
  • Have a more flexible schedule and work as much or as little as you want.
  • No longer fear having a conversation about pricing.
  • Are getting referrals because your couples are so thankful to you.
  • Are making more money than you ever expected to as a therapist.
  • Know how to steer your couples to have a rapid transformation that sticks.

What’s Included?

Three 4-Hour Days of Virtual Training on Couples Intensives

Join us virtually from 12pm – 4pm Pacific, July 13 – 15 for an unforgettable training that will change your life and career.

Binder For Couples

You’ll get a PDF of the exact binder to give your couples during their Intensives, with all the handouts in the right sequence to save you precious time and energy. This is one of the most valuable parts of the Couples Intensives Training. It’s completely organized, so all you have to do is make a copy and give it to your couples.

Binder For Therapists

All the hard work has been done for you, including pre-written forms and email drafts to send your clients before you get started. You’ll get scripts for what to ask on consultation calls, financial agreement templates, personal history questionnaires, and additional exercises to give to your couples during their Intensives. We’ll give you the exact handouts we’ve developed so you can start offering Intensives right away.

2 Live Virtual Follow-Up Sessions

You’ll get two virtual follow-up sessions over the next year to give you support where you need it most, whether that’s marketing, questions about running Intensives, learning how to feel more confident talking to potential clients, or de-briefing after your first few intensives.

BONUS!

Private Community Support Group ($2,000 value)

Once you complete this online program, you’ll join a very engaged and focused support community, where you’ll be greeted by our loving team of guides and other therapists leading Intensives. Couples Intensives are a relatively new approach for couples, and there is much to be learned from the experience of others.
You’ll find everything you need to succeed at Intensives right here and fully available to you.
Inside the private membership, exclusively for graduates of the Intensives training, you’ll get to know your fellow Intensive Trailblazers. They have been where you are now and their encouragement and wisdom will remind you that you’re on the right track. You won’t be finding your way alone.
You can immediately dive into extra training and get more insights on …..
  • How to identify a good couple for an intensive
  • How to talk to existing clients about signing up for an intensive
  • How to set a higher fee, even when it feels scary
  • How to update your website copy and market your intensives
  • How to shift the 2-day sequence under certain circumstances
  • How to do topic-specific intensives such as infidelity
Whatever comes up around your Intensives, you'll have a place to communicate with others who have blazed the trail, already started doing Intensives, and are eager to share what worked for them.
This community is not available to just anyone. It is limited to the distinguished pioneers who are graduates of our Couples Intensives training, so it’s a safe space for the education, experimentation, and support you need to succeed long term.
You’ll receive live coaching calls with Ellyn and Lori, participate on message forums, and process the results of your own Intensives.

Ellyn says, “It’s exactly the kind of support I wish I’d had for all the innovations I tried over the years. So it’s a personal pleasure to offer it as a bonus. I hope to see you in the training and afterwards in this group.”

You can be the catalyst for a deeper level of healing than your clients ever thought possible

...while making more money than you ever thought possible.

Most therapists and coaches work with an hourly model, which keeps them working with many clients a week, putting a hard limit on how much they can make a year.

But with a going rate that starts at $4,000 and goes up to $8,000, Couples Intensives can break your income ceiling so you can do just one or two a month and make great money while working a fraction of the time.

This training might be the best investment of your career.

You can even use Couples Intensives to go into semi-retirement, working just a few days a month instead of 5 days a week. And depending on your preference, you can be the one to offer follow-up sessions or you can lean on the built-in Couples Intensives community to offer your clients ongoing support from trusted therapists.
If you do even just one couples intensive a month at $5,000, that’s $60,000 a year.
Two a month and that’s $120,000 a year.
You can start offering Couples Intensives right away to your existing clients. And, when you get known for the breakthroughs you get with couples, you will get more inquiries each month to do intensives. You then get to decide how many intensives you do each month.

Couples are looking for Intensives to help their relationship in record time.

Today’s busy couples want results. When there’s a problem, they’re in pain and need relief quickly because it’s impacting their day-to-day life.
They know that traditional weekly therapy won’t cut it. They want something that will help them move through the issues that they haven’t been able to work through, and they want it now.
That’s where you get to come in and provide them with a proven way to get farther, faster.

Are couples willing to pay $4,000 and up for an Intensive?

Yes, and here’s why. Couples can pay at least that much in 4-6 months of weekly therapy, without getting anywhere near the same progress. But when given the option of taking two days versus six months (or more) for an experience that will revolutionize their relationship, it’s a no-brainer for many couples.

And here’s why you can — and should — charge more. A Couple Intensive is completely different than traditional therapy.

Many couples say they learned more in two days than in three years of therapy.

You’ll be offering them the chance of a lifetime to work through what could be the biggest challenge of their relationship. Ask any couple and they’ll tell you it’s worth it to feel hope that their relationship will survive.

Meet the therapist who pioneered couples therapy in the 1980s and has revolutionized the industry again with Couples Intensives:

Dr. Ellyn Bader

Psychotherapist, Co-Creator of The Couples Institute® and Creator of The Developmental Model

Dr. Ellyn Bader is one of the early founders of “couples therapy,” as well as a recognized thought leader and trailblazer in relationship therapy worldwide. Ellyn co-created “The Developmental Model,” a revolutionary approach that is highly adaptable to the complex needs of two people growing, changing, and staying connected in a relationship. The model has deeply influenced the therapeutic world and is currently used in over 66 countries. It is taught by many graduate programs using her award-winning textbook In Quest of the Mythical Mate, which has been reprinted over 20 times.

Ellyn co-founded The Couples Institute® (1984) and co-authored Tell Me No Lies (2001) with her husband Dr. Peter Pearson. She has been a trusted resource for TV, radio, podcast, and print publications, appearing on Nightline, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Good Morning America, and numerous NPR programs; also in O Magazine, Cosmopolitan, and over 70 others.

Ellyn is joined by the successful therapist who turned the Developmental Model into a winning curriculum for Couples Intensives.

Lori Weisman

Psychotherapist and Co-Creator of the Couples Intensives Training
Lori is passionate about training therapists to learn this model and has partnered with Ellyn Bader to offer this world class training.
Over the past four decades, Lori Weisman has had the opportunity to work with thousands of people struggling to rebuild their lives and their relationships.
During this time, she crafted and refined her skills to develop a specific method of marriage coaching that is fast, effective, and lasting. She now specializes in offering Couples Intensives because of how well they work.
Specializing in the intersection of neuroscience and couples relationships, Lori has made a lifelong study of what people need in order to overcome massive hurdles to create a connected, intimate, thriving relationship.
Her background as a therapist, relationship coach, speech pathologist, and clinical director of brain injury centers gives her a unique understanding of the brain’s functioning and the nuances of couples relationships. Her coaching uses the latest research in neuroscience and proven techniques to turn crisis moments into opportunities for deeper connection and intimacy.

You’ll also get training from these specialists

Monte Bertolino

Marketing Consultant Monte is the Launch Manager for the Couples Institute and works with entrepreneurs from startups to seven-figure businesses. She’ll help you get known for offering Couples Intensives no matter where you are in your marketing journey. You’ll learn how to make a name for yourself and to find your ideal clients using free channels and paid advertising based on your team and budget.

Molly Pearson

Expert copywriter Molly has generated millions of dollars in revenue for her clients. Not only will you get ready-to-go Couples Intensives copy she’s written to go on your website, she’ll provide copy guidance so you can speak directly to your ideal client and get booked with as many Couples Intensives as you want.

Next Virtual Training

July 13 – 15, 2023
12pm – 4pm Pacific Time

You can guide your clients to have major breakthroughs when you...

  • Have a proven structure that works
  • Spend uninterrupted time together
  • Know how to give them skills they’ll use for life
  • Guide couples through their fights using findings from neuroscience
  • Have the time and space to get to the root of their issues
  • Help them make different choices that they’ll take home and use

TESTIMONIALS

“The intensives training weekend with Lori and Ellyn was just the right boost I needed for my career. I am a lifelong learner, always in training programs, and this program absolutely shines out amongst my best training experiences. It was intellectually challenging as well as super practical with immediate tips on how to make changes to begin incorporating Intensives into my clinical offerings right then.

We did role plays as well as lectures, there were handouts and beautiful BINDERS for us to take home. I left that weekend feeling absolutely nourished by the training, the collegiality, and the support the entire group provided. Ellyn and Lori created an Intensives weekend experience that
mirrored the type of Intensive Weekend I am now inspired to provide for my clients.”

Debra Rosenzweig, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist Brattleboro, VT

“Working with Ellyn and Lori to incorporate couples intensives/retreats into my practice has been wonderful in many ways. Their combined knowledge and expertise offered me exponential growth as a leader and facilitator of couples in need because the intensives process is a unique one. Lori and Ellyn have been available whenever I had questions or needed an explanation/ clarification. Simply put, I trust Lori and Ellyn.

I had been searching for a more complete way to assist partners because the more traditional 90 minute sessions were often hit or miss. I found that partners would begin to slow down, become vulnerable, do some of the hard work for personal change… then the session was over! I trained with Ellyn and Lori in September 2022. I have since worked with numerous couples using 1-day and 2-day intensives. I’ve noticed that a couples intensive gives partners time to learn new concepts, then incorporate those concepts into their current knowledge base, which in turn, softens resentments and opens up productive dialog, learning and possible change.

There is an overall format provided, using the Developmental Model, which eliminates much of the guess work and allows me to incorporate additional techniques based on the needs of each individual/couple. I thank you, Lori and Ellyn, for giving me the tools and support to provide couples a greater chance for relationship success!”

Andrea Tang EdS, LMHC, NCC, CCTP, CCTHP
Port Saint Lucie, FL

“I absolutely loved the 2-day intensive training with Ellyn and Lori! They are incredible people and great facilitators. They bring warmth, professionalism, and a sense of fun to the sessions. Lori and Ellyn guided us through the material with stories, examples, and frequent dialogue. It was clear they genuinely cared about our success and provide ample practice opportunities. I’m grateful for their generosity in sharing digital program materials, allowing us to implement them right away or personalize them to fit our own practices. Attending their class was a joy, and the follow-up sessions have been wonderful for continuing to connect with others from my cohort. Thank you, Ellyn and Lori, for an amazing experience!”

Amy West, MSW, Founder

“I just completed my first Intensive with a couple who previously almost
backed out. They had been through 5 years of marital therapy before and found little had changed.

At the end they reported all the reasons why this is preferable to hourly, weekly sessions. They left feeling hopeful, relaxed, aware of how to talk to each other differently, taking responsibility for their contribution to the cycle of distress and asking if they could schedule two more days in the near future.

I had more than enough energy for each day. I think that transferred to the couple. That, and I really liked them!”

Tom Adams, LMFT

The Couples Intensives Training

Three 4-Hour days of virtual training on Couples Intensives

Complete binder for couples
Complete binder for therapists
Ongoing support from the facilitators & community
2 live follow-up sessions on Zoom
One year membership to our exclusive private intensive community

PAY IN FULL

$8,995

Total Investment

SAVE MY SEAT

Sign up before June 25, 2023

DEPOSIT

$1,000

Refundable until June 4, 2023
Make Deposit
$7,995 Balance is due by June 25, 2023

You might be nervous to invest in a Couples Intensives Training Program.

It’s a big decision. A decision to...

  • Change how you work to a way that’s more effective than hourly sessions.
  • Learn a proven model that allows you to charge premium rates for the worthwhile breakthroughs you facilitate.
  • Leave behind a model of therapy that's too disjointed and slow for many couples and draining for you.
  • Take control over your schedule and how much you work.
  • Learn how to help couples step out of the blame game and communicate effectively — for life.
  • Become confident in your abilities to help couples more than other therapists.
  • Be part of a new movement of successful leaders in the therapy profession.
  • Make a name for yourself as a therapist who struggling couples need to work with.
  • Go into semi-retirement or create more time for yourself so you avoid burnout.
  • Fall back in love with your work and feel energized by it.

This is more than a training. It’s about the rest of your life.

It’s about becoming sought after as an expert couples therapist who gets “miraculous” results and saves couples from divorce. 

ENROLLMENT IS LIMITED AND SELLS OUT QUICKLY

Here's What Therapists Are Saying

“It’s so effective that I’m moving towards just doing this type of work.”

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“You get months’ worth of
therapy done in 2 days.”

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question-mark-icon

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Right away. We’ll share the easiest ways to get your first clients so you can start booking Intensives as soon as you complete the training. You’ll have all the handouts, scripts, templates, and training ready to go. We teach you how to confidently collect payments, how to screen for ideal couples, and what to say and do before, during, and after your Couples Intensives. It’s all right there for you. Our previous participants are already getting booked out with high-quality couples and helping them have a better relationship than they ever thought possible.
Most couples are more than happy to pay for something that will completely change their lives in a significant way — especially if traditional hourly therapy has failed them. We’ll guide you to have that conversation so your clients see Intensives as a smart investment in their happiness. Charging more than your hourly rate might require you to step outside your own comfort zone, but we’ll have plenty of chances for you to practice what to say and how to say it in a way that feels natural.

This training is for both therapists and relationship coaches who want to work with the Developmental Model to offer Couples Intensives. You’ll get the complete structure to work with couples over the span of 2 days. Couples have the opportunity to practice with direct hands-on support from you, and there is an opportunity to do deeper work on the second day.

Whether you are a therapist or a coach, you can integrate your existing skills within the Couples Intensives structure to facilitate a powerful change for couples.

Yes, there’s a big demand for Couples Intensives. Our trainers have more interest than they can handle, and graduates have gone on to book multiple Intensives in a matter of months. Busy couples don’t have time to wait months or years to work out their problems, and the idea of repairing the relationship in a weekend is extremely appealing. We need more therapists with experience doing Couples Intensives because the results are truly life-changing.
The beauty of spending two days together is that the therapist and the couple can relax. But without the pressure of getting to the root of your couple’s issue in an hour or two, many therapists feel more effective, more energized, and more hopeful for the couple’s future. And it’s especially invigorating to help couples dodge the divorce bullet. Couples walk out of Intensives holding hands and feeling connected. By the time you get to the second day, the connection in the room is palpable. That’s why Intensives are anything but exhausting. It’s a very fun way of working.

Yes there are. Because this workshop is structured using the Developmental Model theory and practices, we require at least one year in the Level 1 Training Program.

We will consider exceptions to this if you:

  • Are a seasoned therapist or coach and have been seeing couples for at least 3 years.
  • Learn one of the key interventions that is taught in the training on the Initiator-Inquirer Process. This can be done by taking The Change Lab: Immediate Impact with the Initiator-Inquirer. (You can email Ruth here for more information.)

If you would like to be considered for an exception, you can Apply Here.

The Couples Intensives Training takes the Developmental Model and shows you how to turn that into a 2-day offering. You’ll learn practical skills like how to get clients, and learn how to guide them through exercises in the right sequence so they can build trust, intimacy, communication skills, and ultimately experience a bigger shift than they ever could in a two-hour session. We also bring in copywriting and marketing experts to help you get booked out with as many Couples Intensives as you’d like. And you’ll get ongoing support for an entire year with the 2 virtual follow-up trainings and one year in the community membership.

Once you complete this online program, you’ll join a very engaged and focused support community, where you’ll be greeted by our loving team of guides and other therapists leading Intensives. Couples Intensives are a relatively new approach for couples, and there is much to be learned from the experience of others.

You’ll find everything you need to succeed at Intensives right here and fully available to you.

Inside the private membership, exclusively for graduates of the Intensives training, you’ll get to know your fellow Intensive Trailblazers. They have been where you are now and their encouragement and wisdom will remind you that you’re on the right track. You won’t be finding your way alone.

You can immediately dive into extra training and get more insights on how to:

  • Identify a good couple for an intensive
  • Talk to existing clients about signing up for an intensive
  • Set a higher fee, even when it feels scary
  • Update your website copy and market your intensives
  • Shift the 2-day sequence under certain circumstances
  • Do topic-specific intensives such as infidelity

Whatever comes up around your Intensives, you'll have a place to communicate with others who have blazed the trail, already started doing intensives, and are eager to share what worked for them.

This community is not available to just anyone. It is limited to the distinguished pioneers who are graduates of our Couples Intensives training, so it’s a safe space for the education, experimentation, and support you need to succeed long term.

You’ll receive live coaching calls with Ellyn and Lori, participate on message forums, and process the results of your own Intensives.

Ellyn says, “It’s exactly the kind of support I wish I’d had for all the innovations I tried over the years. So it’s a personal pleasure to offer it as a bonus. I hope to see you in the training and afterwards in this group.”

After your training, you’ll be invited to join the community where you can ask questions to other alumni who are successfully leading Couples Intensives. Your trainers Ellyn and Lori are also in the group and join in to answer questions, so you’ll get incredible support for years to come. This is also a perfect place to find other quality therapists to refer your clients to in the event that you don’t want to do follow-up sessions.
The starting rate for Couples Intensives is $4,000 and we’ve had therapists in New York City charge up to $12,000. That means that after just one or two Intensives you can completely recoup the cost of your training, making this a smart investment — especially if you plan to offer Intensives for a year or more.

As part of your training, you’ll learn how to screen clients so you always work with couples who you can truly help.

Couples Intensives are not a good fit for clients who are in active addiction, dealing with untreated mental illness, domestic violence situations, massive infidelity that’s just been discovered, or couples who are super reactive, can’t manage their brain, are hostile, or aren’t motivated. You will not be able to teach them the required skills.

On the other hand, ideal couples have the ability to benefit from what they’re learning, so they’re facing problems such as: feeling like platonic roommates, reconnecting after kids leave the house, sex discrepancies, fighting a lot, or those who don’t know how to manage emotional triggers so they keep recycling the same hurt.

  • How to identify a good couple for an intensive
  • How to talk to existing clients about signing up for an intensive
  • How to set a higher fee, even when it feels scary
  • How to update your website copy and market your intensives
  • How to shift the 2-day sequence under certain circumstances
  • How to do topic-specific intensives such as infidelity
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