Intensive Couples Therapy

Available by secure telehealth throughout New York & Florida, with in-person intensives available in Warrensburg NY.

When Your Relationship Needs More Than One Hour a Week

Sometimes couples need more time.

If you've been caught in the same painful patterns for months or years, are facing a major relationship crisis, or simply want to devote concentrated time to making meaningful changes, traditional weekly therapy may not feel like enough.

Intensive couples therapy gives you the opportunity to step away from everyday distractions and focus deeply on your relationship for anywhere between several hours to multiple days.

I'm Richard Yerry, LCSW-R, a psychotherapist practicing since 2012. I reside in the Adirondacks with my wife and two children. I have completed Level 2 training in the Gottman Method.

I offer intensive couples therapy for couples throughout New York, both in person and through telehealth. Telehealth sessions are also available throughout the state of Florida.

Schedule an Intensive Couples Therapy Consultation

What Is Intensive Couples Therapy?

Intensive couples therapy (sometimes called marathon couples therapy) compresses multiple traditional therapy sessions into a concentrated period of work.

Instead of meeting for 60-90 minutes and then waiting another week to continue, an intensive allows us to spend several consecutive hours focused on your relationship.

This can give us the space to:

Slow down and understand complicated relationship dynamics
Identify destructive patterns
Address issues that are difficult to resolve in a standard session
Practice new ways of communicating
Work through significant relationship injuries
Develop a clearer understanding of what each partner needs
Create a plan for continuing the work after the intensive
Avoid getting stuck rehashing last week's arguments

An intensive isn't about trying to solve everything in one day.

It's about creating enough time and space to do deeper work.

An Intensive May Be Right for You If...

You're experiencing significant relationship conflict
You keep having the same arguments without resolution
You feel emotionally disconnected from your partner
Trust has been damaged
You've experienced infidelity or another major relationship rupture
You're considering separation or divorce
You're facing an important relationship decision
You've tried traditional couples therapy but feel stuck
Your schedules make weekly therapy difficult
You want to make your relationship a priority and devote concentrated time to it

You don't have to be in crisis to choose an intensive.

Some couples choose this format because they want to strengthen an already healthy relationship or address problems before they become more serious.

Gottman Method-Informed Intensive Couples Therapy

My intensive couples work incorporates principles and interventions from the Gottman Method, a research-based approach to understanding relationships developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman.

I have completed Level 2 Gottman Method training and use Gottman-informed assessment and therapeutic strategies in my couples work.

The goal isn't simply to talk about what's wrong.

We'll work to understand the patterns between you, identify what is happening underneath the conflict, and develop practical strategies for creating a healthier relationship.

What Happens During an Intensive?

Every couple is different, so the work is tailored to your circumstances and goals.

Depending on the length and focus of your intensive, our work may include:

Understanding Your Relationship

We'll look at your relationship history, current concerns, strengths, and the patterns that have developed between you.

Identifying the Cycle

Many couples become trapped in predictable cycles: one partner pursues while the other withdraws, for example, or criticism leads to defensiveness, which leads to more criticism.

Understanding the cycle can be an important first step toward changing it.

Doing the Work

Rather than simply discussing your problems, we'll work on specific skills and interventions designed to help you communicate differently, manage conflict, reconnect emotionally, and address the issues that brought you to therapy.

Creating a Path Forward

An intensive should leave you with more than a productive day of conversation.

We'll identify practical next steps and ways to continue building on the work after the intensive.

Choose the Format That Fits Your Needs

3–4 Hour Intensive

$900

A concentrated half-day experience focused on a thorough relationship assessment. You will leave this intensive with a better understanding of the underlying issues affecting your relationship; recommended next steps; and a printable PDF summarizing your relationship strengths & challenges.

6-Hour Intensive

$1,350

A full day devoted to understanding your relationship and working on the issues that brought you to therapy.

12-Hour Intensive

$2,700

A deeper, extended format designed for couples who want substantial concentrated therapeutic time.

18-Hour Intensive

$4,050

A multi-day intensive providing the greatest amount of concentrated therapeutic time for couples seeking an especially comprehensive experience.

Intensive formats are customized to the needs and circumstances of each couple, and may be scheduled with sufficient notice on nights & weekends.

Why Work With Me?

I have spent the past four years working specifically with couples, and investing in advancing my education & training on effective couples therapy work. I have completed Level 2 training in the Gottman Method. I also have life experience navigating the ups-and-downs of marriage, parenting, caregiving for older or medically compromised loved ones, etc. I am certain that I can empathize, non-judgmentally, with whatever you are going through.

My approach combines a structured, research-informed framework with individualized psychotherapy. I do not believe couples need someone to decide who's right and who's wrong; nor do I think it is in anyone's best interest to meet weekly and rehash last week's arguments. Instead, I help couples understand the patterns that have developed between them and create opportunities for something different.

Intensive therapy also allows us to devote sustained attention to your relationship rather than trying to fit complex issues into a single weekly appointment.

Included with every intensive:

Gottman Relationship Assessment ($39)
- Evidenced-based online assessment questionnaire grounded in 40+ years of relationship research. To be completed at your leisure before we meet.
Gottman Relationship Builder ($149)
- Lifetime access to 14 modules, 41 exercises, and 90 exclusive videos

Intensive Therapy Isn't About Finding a Quick Fix

An intensive doesn't guarantee that years of relationship difficulties will disappear in a weekend.

What it can provide is time, focus, structure, and an opportunity to interrupt patterns that have become difficult to change on your own.

For some couples, that concentrated experience can become an important turning point. For others, it provides clarity about what needs to happen next.

Either way, the goal is meaningful therapeutic work, not simply spending more hours in a therapy office.

In-Person & Telehealth

Intensive couples therapy is available in person (New York) and through telehealth (New York & Florida), depending on the format and circumstances. Nights and weekends are available.

If you're unsure whether an intensive or traditional weekly couples therapy is the better fit, we can discuss your situation before you make a decision.

Is an Intensive Right for You?

You don't need to decide on a format before reaching out.

Tell me a little about what's happening in your relationship, and we can determine whether traditional couples therapy or an intensive approach makes more sense for your needs.

Let's talk about your relationship

Richard Yerry, LCSW-R
Warrensburg, NY
Gottman Method-informed couples therapy
In-person & telehealth