“If you’re willing to be honest about who you really are, and open-minded about who your partner is, your relationship will grow stronger. Your understanding of each other will be deeper. Your life together will be happier.”
― Dr. John M. Gottman
“If you’re willing to be honest about who you really are, and open-minded about who your partner is, your relationship will grow stronger. Your understanding of each other will be deeper. Your life together will be happier.”
― Dr. John M. Gottman
is your relationship in crisis? would you like to get quick and long-lasting results?
Marathon couples therapy may be what you are looking for.
Marathon Couples Therapy is a dynamic alternative to traditional weekly sessions in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. It’s a focused and condensed approach to marriage counseling that will provide you with what you need to address specific issues and get your relationship back on track. In this powerful therapy format you will meet with Certified Gottman Therapist Julie Sharon-Wagschal for two or three consecutive days.
All couples that participate in Marathon Couples Therapy receive a scientific evaluation of their relationship powered by the cutting edge technology of Gottman Connect. Our comprehensive relationship assessment will pinpoint the areas in which you can achieve the greatest growth so you can move forward to a place of strength, reconnection, and hope.
In marathon couples therapy, you will have time to talk in depth about the struggles and challenges of the relationship that simply cannot happen in the tradition style of couples therapy. There is time to process past injuries that have never healed, and time to understand how these injuries have impacted the relationship. There is time to learn and practice new communication skills to help you have more productive conversations. There’s time to rebuild.
Your therapist will provide an environment of safety for both partners. You will be treated with dignity and respect, without judgment, throughout the process. Couples who have experienced this form of therapy usually describe it as life-changing and transformative.
It is important, however, that you also understand the risks involved. Despite the “nuts and bolts” approach of this method, the Marathon Couples Therapy format may move you more quickly and intensely into the areas of difficulty to be addressed. Therefore, you and/or your partner may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, loneliness, and helplessness. Your couples therapy may also involve recalling unpleasant aspects of your history together and/or individually.
Who is the marathon couples therapy for?
- It’s a good fit for couples who want intensive therapy but don’t live in the vicinity of a Certified Gottman Therapist;
- It’s also a good fit for couples whose schedules do not allow for them to go to weekly therapy sessions;
- it’s a great fit for couples who need to get help immediately.
What to expect?
Before you start the therapy, you will fill out an online questionnaire, and record and rate two video conversations of you as a couple. These questionnaires and video conversations are part of your relationship assessment. Detailed instructions will be provided upon registration.
The first day of therapy will consist of the assessment interviews by your therapist. The goal is to get a deep understanding of the current state and history of your relationship and to clarify your goals for the therapy. The assessment is completed with a comprehensive feedback and treatment planning session.
After the assessment on day one, you will start the therapy process which includes using Gottman Method’s effective communication tools and exercises that support couples to create mutual understanding and connection. After the first day, you will meet with your therapist for another one or two full days of therapy.
Consecutive full days of therapy are 6 hours of therapy per day consisting of 2-3 hour sessions with breaks.
When is marathon couples therapy not suitable?
- From either partner’s perspective, a partner is struggling with an alcohol or drug addiction;
- There is violence in your relationship, threats that violence might occur, or fear of such violence;
- Either partner currently has an untreated major mental illness (for example, schizophrenia, recurrent psychotic depression, or bipolar/manic-depressive illness);
- Either partner is currently experiencing suicidal or homicidal thoughts, or has a history of serious harm inflicted on him/herself or another person;
- If there is an undisclosed, ongoing extramarital affair that you are not willing to disclose. Keeping such secrets interferes with marital therapy.
IS MARATHON Therapy CONFIDENTIAL?
Marathon therapy is strictly confidential. Without your permission, nothing will be disclosed to third parties. This also applies when a third party funds the sessions. Confidentiality can only be breached in extremely exceptional circumstances where the health and safety of you or others are at serious risk.
By law a file must be created which contains information about you and your treatment. As your therapist, I do my best to safeguard your privacy. This means that I treat your personal and medical information with utmost care and make sure that others do not have access to your information and data. As your therapist, I am the only person who has access to your file.
Data from your file can be used for the following purposes:
- To inform other healthcare providers, for example if the therapy has been completed or there is a referral to another therapist. This only happens with your explicit permission.
- For anonymous use during peer review.
- A small part of your file is used for financial administration so that I or my administrator can create and send invoices.
If there is any other reason for me to use your information, I will first inform you and get your explicit permission.
By law your file will be kept for 15 years.
Your invoice will contain the following information so that you will be able to declare the costs with your insurer if you choose to:
- Your name, address, city;
- Your date of birth;
- The date of treatment;
- A short description of the treatment, such as ‘marathon therapy’;
- The costs of the session.
What does it cost?
Most marathons will consist of three (consecutive) days at a cost of 3388 euro (including VAT). Costs for offsite or weekend marathons differ. Please contact us with your specific requests.
A two-day marathon costs 2299 euro (including VAT).
Costs include access and use of Gottman Connect assessment materials.
A deposit of 50% is required at the point of reservation and the remaining payment is due at the time of your appointment.
Cancellations can be made up to 30 days prior to your scheduled appointment with a 500 euro cancellation fee. Deposits are non-refundable within 30 days. Your session can be rescheduled one time. However, the new date must be within 3 months of your original date.
Contact us today to get started
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