Best Marriage Intensive Programs 2024
When your marriage needs help, what do you do? Weekly marriage therapy sessions for months or years just isn’t enough sometimes. What other options are there? Many therapists offer marriage intensives, which are usually several days of in-person or virtual counseling to help get you and your spouse results quickly. There are many available options that may work best for you and your situation. If your marriage is at a critical point, a marriage intensive might be ideal. It’s important to know what to look for to make sure you’re getting the most out of the intensive experience. In this article, we'll review the best marriage intensive programs available.
What is a marriage intensive?
Marriage intensives are usually short-term, but high impact sessions of marriage therapy. Intensives are either virtual or in-person and led by a marriage therapist expert.
| Marriage Intensive | Cost | Length | Religious | Virtual or In- person |
| ER- Dr. Wyatt Fisher | $2500 | 12 weeks | No | Virtual |
| Hope Restored- Focus on the Family | $3950 | 3, 4, or 5 days | Yes | In-person |
| Michelle Weiner-Davis Intensives | $12,000 | 2 days | No | Both |
| EFT Marriage Intensives | $4800 | 3 days | No | In-person |
| Winshape Marriage Intensives | $3950 | 2,3 or 4 days | Yes | In-person |
| Hideaway Marriage Intensive | $4250 | 4 days | Yes | In-person |
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Marriage Intensive
Cost- It’s important to keep in mind that for an intensive you’ll be paying a good chunk of cash upfront, rather than over a series of months, like in traditional therapy. The price will vary depending on the amount of days, if the sessions are private or in a group setting, and if the intensive is virtual or in person. It’s also important to remember that this is an investment in your marriage, and you are either paying for the intensive, or potentially for divorce (which can average around $15,000-$20,000).
Length- Some couples may want to experience a weekend away to reconnect, build new skills, and heal from resentments. However, for some who may be unable to travel, get time off work, have young children, etc., there are shorter, at-home options that may be better suited to your lifestyle and ability.
Religious- For some, a marriage intensive with religious practices and speech might be ideal. However, if you and your partner are not religious or simply desire an intensive without religious undertones, there are many options for that as well. Most marriage intensives are clear on the website if they are religious-based or not.
Virtual or in-person- Similarly to your consideration to the length of the intensive, there are options that you can do from home virtually, if you are not wanting to or unable to go to an in-person intensive. The virtual options tend to be cheaper and potentially more flexible with your schedule. However, if you desire and are able to attend an in-person intensive, it can be a great time to get away from everyday stresses and distractions to reconnect with your partner.
Group or private sessions- It’s an important factor to note if the sessions at the intensive are group settings or private. Some programs offer both options, but keep in mind that just because the intensive is in a group setting, it doesn’t mean it necessarily will involve group sharing or interaction.
Best Marriage Intensive Programs
ER Marriage Intensive with Dr. Wyatt Fisher:
Cost: $2,500
Length: 12 weeks
Religious: No
Virtual or In-person: Virtual
Group or Private: Both
Dr. Wyatt Fisher is a licensed psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with couples. He provides a 12-week intensive course all from the comfort of your home. The course involves 90-minute weekly group learning sessions, though there is no group sharing, and private 45-minute weekly sessions. Retention of results from ER is often higher than other intensives because it's spread out over three months compared to only a few days. Whether you have a religious affiliation or not, this intensive offers an easily accessible, comfortable way to learn the skills you need to improve your marriage. The program costs $2,500, making it one of the most affordable intensives available too. The ER Marriage Intensive focuses on healing resentments and rebuilding your love by teaching you tools to help with various key issues within marriage. These strategies will help you learn productive communication and conflict resolution skills to effectively work through resentments, meet each other’s needs, and encourage emotional and physical intimacy to flourish. This course will help you and your partner get unstuck and gain hope in half the time as traditional counseling.
Hope Restored: Focus on the Family
Cost: $3,950
Length of time: 3, 4, or 5 days
Religious: Yes
Virtual or In-person: In-person
Group or Private: Both
Hope Restored offers a 3,4, or 5-day intensive in which you work with a trained, professional counselor to get to the root of your marriage issues. This intensive allows all distractions and stressors from every day life to be set aside so you and your partner can experience concentrated help. The 3 and 5-day intensives are private, and the 4 day intensive is a group setting. If you’re hoping for an intensive with religious values and practices, this can be a great option. The cost of the 4-day intensive is listed at $3,950. Prices for the private options are not clearly listed. Hope Restored aims to help couples break down conflict and miscommunication patterns through tools rooted in Focus on the Family’s idea of God’s design for marriage. They have a strong desire to see marriages and families restored through Christian values.
Michelle Weiner-Davis Intensives:
Cost: $12,000
Length of time: 2 days
Religious: No
Virtual or In-person: Virtual and in-person options
Group or Private: Not specified
Michelle Weiner-Davis is a best-selling author, TED Talk speaker, and relationship expert. Her practice consists entirely of marriage intensives that can be virtual or in-person for two days in Boulder, Colorado. This intensive does not have a religious component and costs $12,000 for in-person, and $11,000 for the virtual intensive. Michelle Weiner-Davis exclusively offers intensives, believing firmly that it’s the best way to truly resolve the issues that drive spouses apart. She believes that her 2-day intensives are the perfect amount of time for her to best understand situations, identify problems, and find solutions to help restore your marriage.
EFT Marriage Intensives:
Cost: $4,800
Length of time: 3 days
Religious: No
Virtual or In-person: In-person
Group or Private: Private
The EFT Marriage Intensives offer in-person, private intensives for couples to get the support they need. This program offers a free consultation to help match you and your partner to a therapist, detail each partner's goals for the intensive, and to set up and plan your 3-day intensive experience. All that’s left to do is show up. The pricing depends on the experience level of the therapist, ranging from $3,090 to $4,800. EFT Marriage intensives aims to offer a truly effective form of therapy, so that you get the most out of your time and money. They believe that trust in your therapist is key, which is why they aim to help you choose a therapist that is the right fit for you. They have a specific process to help work through the blocks to showing and feeling love, using Emotionally Focused Therapy.
Winshape Marriage Intensives:
Cost: $3,950+
Length of time: 2, 3, or 4 days
Religious: Yes
Virtual or In-person: In-person
Group or Private: Both
The Winshape Marriage Intensives offer two options: Hope Restored Intensive, which is detailed above, or an intensive through Spring Life Counseling. These options both have religious components and offer group and private options. Pricing is not specified, but these intensives are in-person opportunities in Rome, Georgia, for couples that want to get away and gain support, skills, and hope. This program offers 2,3, or 4-day intensives. The goal of Winshape Marriage intensives is to help find lasting solutions through renewed connections, rediscovered intimacy, and individual healing, as well as healing as a couple. They aim to create space for couples to break away from their unhealthy “norms”, and to experience transformation through Christian values.
The Hideaway:
Cost: $4,250
Length of time: 4 days
Religious: Yes
Virtual or In-person: In-person
Group or Private: Group
The Hideaway is an in-person intensive, which offers sessions with four other couples for 4 days. This experience is religious based and is offered every month. The price is $4,250 for a luxury stay, while receiving 6-8 hours of counseling each day, with free time and one-on-one time with your partner built in. The Hideaway focuses on providing initial breakthroughs and long-term change, using the Restoration Therapy Model. Their therapists help to bring perspective to situations, break down communication and other hidden barriers, and provide tools to help transform your relationship.
Conclusion:
Marriage intensives are a great way to heal, restore, and recharge your marriage quickly. Whether your marriage is in crisis and you need help now, or you simply want to learn how to do marriage right, marriage intensives can be a perfect opportunity. There are many factors that may contribute to the intensive being the right experience for you and your partner. Knowing the cost, length of time, religious orientation, if it's in-person or virtual, and if it's in a group or private setting will help you make an informed choice on which marriage intensive is best for you.