Therapy Intensives
with Alice Curitz, PhD(c) RCC CCC CST
Online and In Person
Picture this…
After a long day, you sit on the couch and grab the remote. Your partner, sitting on the opposite end, stretches their legs to rest their feet up on the coffee table. (Why do they insist on doing that when they know it annoys you?)
You start scrolling your way through the endless entertainment options. With each suggestion, your partner gives a disinterested shrug without looking up from their phone.
After some careful deliberation, you click on the latest true crime documentary.
Just as the lead investigator starts to describe the person who “always lit up a room”, you see your phone screen light up—an email from your coworker.
You draft a quick reply. It’ll only take a minute. And then another notification comes in. And another one. And another…
…until an hour and a half has passed. The killer has been found and brought to justice. Roll credits.
What happened? This was the only chance that you both get to spend quality time together in a day. And yet, it doesn’t feel like you had any sort of meaningful connection. At all.
Can you relate to this story? A lot of us can.
As humans, we are naturally wired for deep, intimate connection with the people in our lives — friends, family, roommates, work colleagues, and romantic partners too.
But with so many other distractions demanding our immediate attention, we’re set up for disconnection.
If you’re anything like the clients I support, you crave connection, but right now you…
just can’t seem to communicate without finding yourselves arguing or feeling hurt.
find emotionally vulnerable conversations difficult to have or even start.
feel like you’ve emotionally left a relationship before you’ve physically left it.
realize that you and your partner care about each other, but can’t meet each other's needs.
may be in a relationship that’s a mix of neurotypes and find that daily miscommunications are draining your social battery.
might be considering opening up your relationship, but know that this will require more communication, not less (and that’s an area that needs some work).
miss the spark of the old days and want to get it back.
In relationships, if something isn’t clicking, it can feel like our whole world is thrown off balance.
Maybe you’re noticing that you and your partner have been fighting a lot over silly things (like putting their feet up on the coffee table or the dirty dishes piling up next to the sink). Or maybe there’s a bigger problem or an infidelity. Something that requires urgency to repair and heal from.
When that happens, you don’t want to wait weeks or months for the situation to resolve itself. You need a concentrated block of time to do the work and transition the relationship to what you want it to be.
What if I told you that over a few days you could heal from disconnection?
What if you could…
find a sweet spot in your relationship that reignites the spark you once had?
better define what you want and need from a romantic partner, family member, roommate, friend, or business partner?
feel like your mixed neurotype relationship is the superpower that makes your connection even stronger?
Or even….
uncouple in a way that’s caring, loving, and respectful so you can transition your relationship to good friends and great co-parents, or even just part ways with fond memories of the time you had together?
Intensives are focused sessions designed for individuals, couples, polycules, and families who want to resolve conflicts or make meaningful, long-term changes within a shorter timeframe than weekly therapy allows.
An intensive is a good fit for you if you…
are ready and willing to participate in and experience healing and deep growth.
know you have potential—even if it feels hard to believe it some days—and you want to invest in yourself and your relationship.
have a conflict (whether internal or within a relationship) and want it resolved in a quicker timeframe than weekly therapy allows.
aren’t able to commit to a weekly therapy format either because of scheduling or the urgency of the problem that needs to be resolved.
want a dedicated, distraction-free block of time to do the inner work to make a life-changing shift.
Included with your Intensive experience:
-
Up to 6 hours of therapy a day
We’ll be spending a lot of time together. So we can skip the typical “What’s been on your mind recently?” catch-up questions that you get asked in a traditional weekly therapy format. We can get right to work every day because we already know what you’re working towards.
-
Pre-Intensive Workbook
A short, comprehensive workbook that sets the stage for the work we'll do together. We’ll already be doing A LOT of work during your Intensive. So don’t worry, this won’t be an overwhelming amount of pre-Intensive homework.
-
Rest and Reflection Periods
We’ll go deep and things can get a little intense. That’s why we’ll build in breaks around your sessions so we can all show up the next day well-rested and recharged. This includes time to reflect on what we’ve explored and work on something we talked about in our session.
Getting started with Individual & Relationship Intensives
-
During this free 30-minute discovery call, we’ll determine whether we’re a good fit for each other. We’ll meet via Zoom and you can share your hopes for our work together. I’ll answer any questions you have and we’ll discuss how to customize the intensive experience to meet your unique needs.
-
Individual Intensives run for 1-2 consecutive days, up to 3 hours for a half-day and up to 6 hours for a full-day intensive.
Relationship Intensives run for 3 consecutive days, up to 6 hours on the first two days and up to 4 hours on the last day. New relationship clients also attend an online pre-intensive session with me no less than 2 weeks before the intensive begins. This session is a no-strings-attached opportunity to get to know each other more and get us ready to embark on the intensive work together. -
Your Intensive will take place at a meeting location of your choosing—your home, a resort, or a vacation rental. (For Individual Intensives, we can also meet over Zoom.)
I also host Intensives right here on Prince Edward Island. For relationships especially, the island can be a romantic setting for reconnecting. If you like, I can help you plan a retreat-style Intensive on the island.
Have something specific in mind? Let’s design a unique experience together.
Your Investment
FAQs
-
Once our work for the day is complete, I’ll give you your privacy and head to my own accommodations. This gives everyone a much-needed break and the space to recharge after a long day of therapy. It’s also an opportunity to reflect and practice any of the strategies we talked about earlier in the day.
-
Relationship therapy isn’t just for couples. All types of relationships can benefit from the investment in improving and deepening connection. Over the years, I’ve worked with siblings, parents and their adult children, friends, colleagues, business partners, and community advocates. I also have extensive experience working with throuples and polycules.
-
Absolutely! I believe that a queer lens to therapy is beneficial to everyone. Whether you’re seeking an individual or relationship intensive, we’ll apply a feminist, anti-oppressive lens to the work we do that will unburden you from normative and imposed social expectations and allow you to freely create the life you want. When we move away from gendered roles that aren’t working for us in our relationships, we can be seen and loved for our whole selves.
-
Definitely. Figuring out creative solutions to problems is practically a hobby of mine, and this is no different. If you and your loved ones don’t live close to one another, we’ll discuss options that will work for all of you and design an intensive that meets your needs.
-
We can be flexible about the number of hours of work a day. If needed, I’m happy to work around your family’s schedule and other time constraints or accessibility needs you might have. You can even opt for a half-day format and spread it out over several days.
We’ll work together to build a schedule and design an experience that works with your other time commitments.
The important thing is reflecting at the end of each day and feeling we’ve had a productive session. I want you to feel good about the experience and the progress you’ve made day to day.
-
Intensives can be rescheduled with no less than 30 days notice (any costs associated with rescheduling travel/accommodation are the responsibility of the client).
No refunds will be issued for Intensives cancelled within 7 days of their start date.
-
A 50% deposit must be paid at the time of booking, plus travel and accommodation costs. The remaining balance is due 7 days ahead of the first day of your Intensive.
Payments can be made via credit card or e-transfer.
-
This will entirely depend on your plan. You’ll receive a receipt that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement.
-
Yes, intensives are available to folks living anywhere. Due to licensing requirements, intensives for non-Canadian clients are deemed to be coaching rather than counselling.
-
Most clients feel an enormous difference after our intensive work together, and so don’t feel a need for therapy right away.
If you want to book another intensive you can send me an email at any time and we’ll set it up.
If you’re looking for regular therapy sessions after our intensive, we can discuss this and see if our schedules and availability line up. Due to my limited caseload, I am not able to guarantee my availability but would be thrilled to connect you with one of my trusted colleagues if I’m not able to offer you regular sessions.