Intensive couples therapy designed to break through the patterns that keep you stuck, with a therapist uniquely trained in sex therapy, infidelity recovery, and EMDR.
Most couples therapy follows a pattern set by insurance: 50 minutes, once a week. By the time you settle in, recap the week, and start getting somewhere meaningful, the session is over. It can take a month just to complete intake and begin working on the real issue.
Weekly sessions often feel like you’re just warming up when the clock runs out. Difficult conversations get cut short. Progress stalls between appointments. Old patterns reassert themselves before the next session.
A couples intensive accomplishes what can take months of weekly sessions, in a single weekend or even a few focused hours. You stay in the work long enough to reach the deeper layers underneath the conflict.
I bring a rare combination of specializations to couples work. Most couples therapists are not also trained sex therapists. Most sex therapists don’t specialize in infidelity recovery. And very few have advanced training in trauma processing through EMDR. I am all three, and that means I can meet your relationship wherever it actually is, not just where it’s comfortable to work.
I primarily use the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy, which recognizes that relationships grow through predictable stages. Understanding where you are in that developmental process, and what’s keeping you stuck there, is the key to lasting change.
Many couples present with what looks like a “communication problem,” but underneath, there’s often unresolved betrayal, sexual disconnection, or trauma driving the cycle. A therapist who can only address one of these layers will miss the full picture. My training allows me to move fluidly between the emotional, relational, sexual, and trauma dimensions of your relationship, all within the safety of an intensive format.
Whether the affair was emotional, physical, or digital, the devastation is real. Intensives give you the extended time needed to process the pain, rebuild trust, and decide together what comes next, without the agonizing wait between weekly sessions.
As an AASECT certified sex therapist, I create a safe, shame-free space to explore desire discrepancy, mismatched libidos, sexual anxiety, and the emotional disconnection that affects physical intimacy. These conversations need more than 50 minutes.
Pursue-withdraw. Criticize-defend. Shut down and explode. These reactive patterns feel impossible to interrupt in real time. An intensive gives you the space to slow these cycles down, understand what’s underneath them, and practice new ways of connecting.
When trust has been shattered by an affair or betrayal, the weekly therapy model can feel painfully slow. You’re in crisis, and waiting a week between sessions while managing overwhelming emotions is excruciating. An intensive allows us to move through the acute pain together, process the trauma (using EMDR when appropriate), and begin rebuilding a foundation, all with the sustained attention this level of injury deserves. As both a certified sex therapist and a specialist in infidelity recovery, I help couples navigate not just the emotional aftermath but also the path back to physical and sexual intimacy when they’re ready.
Most couples don’t struggle because they lack love. They struggle because painful patterns take over before either partner feels heard. An intensive gives you the time and space to actually interrupt those patterns, not just talk about them.
With extended sessions, we slow down reactive cycles so each partner feels genuinely understood. We practice new communication skills in real time, not as homework you try to remember between sessions. We repair hurt moments before you leave, so you don’t carry them into the next week. And we build the emotional safety that makes lasting vulnerability possible.
Many couples leave their intensive feeling clearer about what’s been driving their conflict, more connected to each other, and genuinely hopeful, often for the first time in months or years.
Every couple’s situation is different. Whether you need a focused boost to jumpstart therapy or a deep weekend of transformative work, there’s a format designed for where you are.
How It Works
Couples intensives are powerful, and they require preparation to be effective. Here's what the process looks like so you can make the most of your time together.
We start with a brief consultation to understand your situation, your goals, and whether an intensive is the right fit for your relationship right now.
Before an all-day or weekend intensive, each partner completes individual sessions. This allows me to understand each person's perspective privately and tailor the intensive to your unique needs.
Each partner receives a personalized binder with assessments and preparatory work. You'll arrive at your intensive grounded, focused, and ready to do the deep work from the very first moment.
Whether you choose a half-day, full-day, or weekend format, your intensive is fully customized. We move at the pace your relationship needs, with the sustained focus that creates real breakthroughs.
Lisa Delaplace offers in-person intensives in Prosper, Texas or online anywhere in Texas (Dallas, Austin, Frisco, Plano, Witchita Falls, San Antonio, Houston) or Washington state (Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Spokane, Bellingham, Everett).
Reach out today to learn more about how intensive couples counseling can help you. Click the button below to schedule a consultation.
Questions
Intensives are a strong fit if you're in crisis, recovering from infidelity, feeling stuck in the same arguments, struggling with intimacy or desire differences, preparing for marriage, or simply wanting focused time to strengthen your relationship. They're also ideal for couples with demanding schedules who can't commit to weekly sessions but want meaningful progress.
Individual sessions allow me to understand each partner's unique perspective, history, and goals in a confidential setting. This preparation means we can begin the intensive at full depth from the very first minute rather than spending valuable time on intake and assessment.
The Developmental Model recognizes that all relationships move through predictable stages, and that getting "stuck" in a stage is what creates most relationship distress. Rather than just teaching skills, this approach helps you understand your relationship's unique developmental trajectory and what each partner needs to move forward together.
Yes. Online intensives are available for couples located anywhere in Texas or Washington State. Many couples find the convenience of an online format allows them to fully commit to the intensive experience from the comfort of their home.
A couples retreat is typically a group experience with general relationship education. An intensive is private, one-on-one therapy tailored specifically to your relationship. Every minute is focused on your unique situation, your specific patterns, and your goals, with a licensed therapist trained in the clinical interventions your relationship needs.
Absolutely. As an AASECT certified sex therapist, I specialize in helping couples navigate sexual concerns including desire discrepancy, mismatched libidos, sexual anxiety, shame, and rebuilding physical intimacy after betrayal or disconnection. The extended time of an intensive is especially valuable for these sensitive conversations, topics that are difficult to open up and close in 50 minutes.
