Invest in your relationship

Couples Intensives

Deep dive into your relationships most challenging issues and experience deeper connection

Katie offers both traditional talk therapy couples intensives, as well as brainspotting couples intensives.

Pricing is the same for all intensive types. Please reach out if you need help deciding what intensive is the best fit for you!

Brainspotting Couples Intensive

Deep dive into your most challenging relationship issues and heal underlying trauma using this powerful brain- based modality.

Traditional Talk Therapy Intensive

For couples looking to “talk through” issues, gain understanding and learn new skills, a traditional intensive is a great way to do a large chunk of work at once.

Combination Intensive

Tailor your intensive experience to include both brainspotting and talk therapy (3 days is recommended)

Couples Brainspotting Intensives

As humans we are all in relationship one way or another each and everyday. We feel comforted in relationships and we also experience trauma in relationships. Many of us struggle with conflict in our relationships. 

If you and your partner are feeling stuck, defeated and cannot communicate because you get triggered into a fight/ flight/shut down, a brainspotting intensive can help. Unresolved trauma and attachment wounding can wreak havoc on our partner relationships and we become so triggered that all the skills we may have or want to use go out the window. Katie Dolinsky, LMFT offers intensive sessions spanning over two or three days in order to provide highly motivated clients with a safe and supportive environment to work through their past trauma and relationship triggers in the most rapid and effective way possible. The couples intensive program is designed to provide clients with a tailored treatment plan to address their specific needs as individuals and as a couple. 

Benefits of a brainspotting intensive include:

  • Customized treatment plan; Katie personalizes each treatment plan to ensure that it caters to the individual needs and goals of each client

  • Rapid progress; Intensive therapy sessions allow clients to work through trauma at a much faster pace then traditional therapy approaches, leading to faster healing and symptom relief.

  • Deep brain and body based healing through brainspotting; a powerful brain / body focused treatment method that identifies, processes and released deep neurophysiological and emotional trauma, negative self beliefs, problematic behaviors and performance blocks. Read more about brainspottings impact here.

What To Expect from a Couples Brainspotting Intensive

For two or three days, we will spend intentional time together doing deep therapy work. Each day will begin with either assessment, treatment planning or psychoeducation, followed by several hours of brainspotting for each partner. While brainspotting, both partners will be in the room; one partner will hold space and bear witness to the others processing, which is extremely powerful. Breaks will be factored in. A typical intensive timeline looks like a 9am - 5pm day.

Brainspotting intensives for couples help to achieve “co regulation”. Co-regulation is when someone feeling relaxed can basically "share their calm" with someone experiencing intense negative emotions. It's a warm, responsive, and empathetic way to support or even "coach" people through hard feelings to help them regulate their nervous system.  

In couples work, we use co regulation as a way to help "re wire" our brains responses to our partner, and create a long lasting feeling of safety within the relational context, as well as learn how to stay connected through conflict. 

Katie interweaves Imago, Brainspotting, Attachment theory, Polyvagal theory and Parts work and, when combined, allows the couple to nurture deep, meaningful, long-term connection. Through the process they will also develop skills for self-mastery through intentional connection.   

Brainspotting Intensive Process

Step 1

Thorough Intake and Assessment

  • Tailored treatment plan that is measurable and specific to your relationship and goals

  • Identify each of your top triggers sabotaging your relationship

  • Questionnaires to assess both partners symptoms and severity

  • Thorough timeline of traumatic experiences for both of you

  • Assess negative beliefs each of you have about yourself

  • List of positive resources and strengths for each of you

Step 2

Clear Your Traumas and Negative Belief Toward Self

  • Work one on one with Katie Dolinsky, LMFT and Certified Brainspotting Practitioner to release and clear experiences that have caused suffering

  • Experience profound healing by achieving deep brain regulation through Brainspotting, the most cutting edge and effective trauma therapy to date

  • Process and eliminate all negative and limiting self thoughts you have been programed to believe

  • Heal wounded parts of yourself with inner child and IFS parts work

Step 3

Expansion Brainspotting - Expanding and Manifesting

  • Recover lost parts of yourself

  • Strengthen positive beliefs about yourself

  • Connect to the truth of the goodness inherent in your soul through “Soul Spotting”

  • Expand desired states of being

  • Accomplish performance goals you have

  • Fast forward possibility of stepping in dreams you have for your life

  • Learn how to listen and respond to your partner when they are sharing challenging emotions or dreams

  • Discover self compassion and self love

What to Expect from a Talk Therapy Intensive

Step 1: Thorough Assessment

  • Questionnaires to assess both partners symptoms and severity

  • Prepare/ Enrich Assessment to identify strength and growth areas

  • Timeline of relationship history

  • Family of origin exploration/ genogram

  • Treatment plan tailored to your unique goals

Step 2: Psycho education and Building Your Toolbox

  • Psycho education on specific issues / symptoms that impact your relationship

  • Gain awareness of positive resources in your life, coping and stress management skills

  • Communication and conflict resolution skills to work through tough conversations

  • Increased awareness of needs, boundaries and expectations

Step 3: Processing and Solving Perpetual Problems

  • Explore and process perpetual problems that exist in your relationship

  • Identify past trauma and resentments impacting your connection

  • Gain understanding, increase empathy and work toward forgiveness

Step 4: Building a Future

  • Identifying strengths

  • Sharing Dreams and Goals

  • Tools for Continued Growth and Healing

Talk Therapy Couples Intensive

Talk therapy intensives provide a dedicated amount of time for couples to “talk through” issues they are facing in their relationship, gain understanding for each others perspective and learn new skills to move forward. Talk therapy intensives are ideal for couples who may not have time to dedicate to weekly sessions, or want to get ahead of an issue in their relationship.

Couples can use talk therapy intensive to work through any of the issues that they may seek traditional weekly therapy sessions for, intensives just allow you to get through the work at a faster pace.

You and your partner will walk away with more clarity about your relationship, a deeper understanding of each others positions, and new tools/ skills to help you regulate your emotions, communicate effectively and continue to work toward your shared goals and dreams.

For two or three days, we will spend intentional time together doing deep therapy work and probably laughing a little. Breaks will be factored in. Assessments will be completed ahead of time so that Katie can build a custom intensive tailored to your needs and what will be most helpful.

A typical intensive timeline looks like a 9am - 5pm day.

Katie is trained in Gottman Couples Therapy, Imago Couples Therapy, Emotionally Focused Couples therapy and pulls from Attachment Theory and Polyvagal Theory in her intensives. Rather than use only one modality, Katie interweaves all of these modalities to best meet her clients needs and goals.

Investment

While intensives are a greater up front investment, the cost is comparable or potentially less to doing weekly therapy sessions when you consider you may do the healing of 6 months worth of therapy in 3 days. Intensives can be an alternative to weekly or bi weekly therapy sessions, or can be combined with weekly talk therapy as a way to accelerate healing.

  • 2 hour assessment

    Approx. 12 hours of therapy, including assessment time ( average 4 hours of brainspotting for each partner)

    90 minute follow up therapy session

    $2,645 total investment

  • 2 hour assessment

    Approx. 17 total hours of therapy, including assessment time ( average 6 hours of brainspotting for each partner)

    90 minute follow up after intensive

    $3,645 total investment

Intensives can be done either in person or online ( if you live in Maine or Minnesota). In person is the preferred intensive set up. If you live outside of Maine, its a great place to visit! My office is located right outside of Portland and within 30 minutes of several other popular tourist spots, such as Freeport, Old Orchard Beach and Kennebunkport. Depending on the time of year, Maine has much to offer including beaches, seafood, camping and hiking opportunities, skiing and more. Make your couples intensive a week long vacation and enjoy the sites of Maine after your healing experience.

Please contact me for a free 20 minute consultation to see if a couples intensive is the right fit to help you and your relationship!

"Sometimes the best way to heal a relationship is to simply listen with an open heart."