First, call today and speak with one of our professional client care coordinators. They will answer your questions about cost and availability.

If you are still interested in proceeding with scheduling, the next step is to do a free 30-minute consultation with your counselor. The consultation will be held by Zoom, and both members of the couple are required to attend. You will be asked to fill out a short questionnaire (sent via email) prior to the consultation, which will help Heather focus the conversation to address your needs.

If all parties believe it is a good fit to proceed, your counselor will follow up with an email with her first available dates, and our scheduling team will assist with scheduling your intensive. A deposit of $1000 is required at the time of booking and the remaining balance will be charged the day before the first day of the intensive.

Cancellation policy: We require 3 weeks’ notice to cancel or reschedule your intensive to receive a refund of your deposit. If you cancel your intensive with less than 3 weeks’ notice, you may use your deposit toward the cost of a future service at Inside Passage Counseling.

First, we will schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation to explore whether a couples retreat is right for your relationship. I’ll speak with both members of the couple together to make sure that our goals are compatible and that working together is a good fit.

In the beginning of therapy, I spend time gathering information to help me understand each of your realities, perspectives, and unmet needs in the relationship. I’ll ask you about the history of your relationship and any experiences that significantly impacted you. We’ll decide on goals for our time together, and I will use these goals as guideposts for the remainder of the session.

I will also have an individual session with each of you to clarify your experiences, and how you most need my support during our session. I’ll ask you about your personal background and the significant relationships in your life before your current marriage or partner.

On the second day, we will get to work dismantling the issue(s) standing in the way of having the safety and connection that you want. I will help you create or rebuild the safety that has been missing. This sets the stage for new, positive interactions, and having meaningful conversations and connections with each other. I’ll guide you toward your goals and help you engage with important issues and come to new understanding.

On the third day, we will consolidate the new awareness, growth, and experiences that you had during the first two days. We will switch gears toward going home and talk about how to apply your new learning in your life together. I will give you practical tools to use at home to keep your relationship on a positive track. We will also decide on a plan for maintaining the progress that is made with follow-up sessions.

Almost everyone feels nervous about beginning couples therapy. It can be hard to try again and risk putting faith in a new therapist when you’ve had a previous negative experience in individual or couples therapy. I take great care to create a therapeutic environment where all three of us are respected and understood. I believe that awareness, healing, and connection happen when you feel safe to explore and communicate your genuine experiences. I also take my work as a couples therapist very seriously.

I see my practice as a specialized form of therapy that requires a high level of skill and training. Sometimes, partners who have had a negative experience in couples therapy either didn’t have the right fit with their previous therapist, or the therapist had an individual approach without specialized, scientifically-based training specifically in couples therapy.