Wellness Counseling Center Intensives vs Regular Sessions: What’s the Difference?

Both methods are client-centered processes that help you dive into the root cause of your relationship challenges. 

For some people, a highly-targeted, weekend-long intensive allows them to address what they need to quickly and efficiently, while others need an ongoing, slower-pace that allows them to take their time when opening up and communicating.

Let’s dive into the details of how the regular and intensive sessions work.

Regular Sessions: Consistency and Lifestyle Integration

Wellness Counseling Center specializes in ongoing marriage and relationship counseling services, and we’ve been assisting couples through this approach for decades.

When you work with our caring team for couples therapy, the first four sessions are considered assessment and discovery sessions. They involve the following steps:

• Consultation: This initial session is a way for you to get to know your counselor and for them to get to know you. Here’s where you can determine whether they’re a good fit for you; whether you like the way they communicate, what they have to say, and how they handle the entire process. The consultation is also the time when the counselor determines whether you are a good fit for their approach and style. 
• Individual Assessment: The second and third sessions are where each person visits with the counselor individually, without their partner present. This allows individuals to speak more openly, especially if they’re having trouble voicing their concerns and grievances to their partner.
• Final Assessment: In this fourth meeting, both partners come back together for a session with the counselor. From here, they determine the next steps and their goals going forward and prepare to integrate counseling into their lifestyle for steady progress.

After these initial four introductory meetings, you and your counselor will come up with a session schedule, with most couples opting for weekly or bi-weekly meetings.

One of the most important things to remember when opting for regular sessions is: Consistency matters more than quantity. Attending on a regular cadence is important because it creates momentum. Sessions need not be frequent but they ought to be consistent.

Just like your doctor tells you to finish your antibiotics prescription in its entirety, the same goes for your counseling sessions. You’re less likely to reap the benefits by picking and choosing which sessions to attend. The method works best if you commit to the process..

Weekend Retreats and Intensives: Fast-Paced Change

Our intensives mirror our regular couples therapy sessions and are held in a condensed time frame; you can choose from a 1-day or 2.5-day weekend retreat. This is great for couples who want to implement change and see results but don’t have the capacity in their schedules to do weekly sessions. Dedicating a full day or weekend to their relationship makes more sense for them.

What to expect during a 2.5-day intensive:

• The 2.5-day intensive begins with comprehensive assessment and discovery sessions described above.
• The program covers 8 to 10 weeks of couples counseling.
• You’ll receive a Couples Workbook as well as homework assignments to help you implement what you’ve learned with your partner.
• Lastly, we conduct a 30-minute post-intensive online session to check in and talk about your progress.

What to expect during a 1-day intensive:

• The 1-day intensive also begins with the assessment and discovery sessions.
• This personalized program covers 4 weeks of couples counseling in 1 day.
• You’ll receive a take-home assignment to help you and your partner integrate what you’ve learned into your daily lives.

Your counselor takes on no other clients during this time: all attention is focused solely on you, your partner, and your healing. 

While intensives are more fast-paced than regular sessions, nothing is ever rushed. They can be considered a launch pad for couples to initiate the change they need in their lives. Many couples who attend our retreats find that they’d like to continue on and attend additional intensives or regular ongoing sessions to dive in even deeper. In fact, we recommend it. 

On the other hand, sometimes a retreat is all a couple needs to get unstuck, begin resolving their problem and achieve positive results. 

Determining What’s Right for You

When choosing between an intensive or regular sessions, it’s important to first figure out what level of commitment you’re ready to make at this time.