EFT Couples Therapy Intensives in
Beautiful San Luis Obispo, California!
Give your relationship the gift of time and space to deepen your connection, work on repairing past hurts, and experience more closeness and understanding.
What is an EFT Couples Therapy Intensive?
An intensive is an accelerated therapy process that takes place over the course of 2-3 days. It’s private (just for the two of you) and designed according to the individual needs of your relationship.
By setting aside a few days outside your normal routine, it allows you to more deeply focus on the areas that you want to improve, without distraction, and fully immerse yourselves in the therapy process.
Why Choose an Intensive?
EFT Couples Therapy Intensives can offer rapid progress and a transformational impact on your relationship. Attending a two day intensive is often the equivalent of several months of weekly therapy sessions. This accelerated approach can provide relief, understanding, and a path moving forward. This can feel especially helpful for couples that are seeking quicker results or are in higher distress about past or current hurts and ruptures in the relationship and feel more stressed or overwhelmed by a long therapy process of weekly sessions.
A Couples Therapy Intensive can be a great match for most couples, including those that:
Are feeling stuck in their current therapy process.
Are looking to move more quickly through difficult issues.
Want to explore and address issues of affection and intimacy.
Find it difficult to coordinate their schedules to attend weekly therapy.
Are in long-distance relationships and not able to attend regular, in person therapy together.
Have occupations or life circumstances that make it difficult to attend weekly therapy.
Can feel the relationship is strained due to children, work or other life stressors and want to focus on strengthening closeness and connection.
Find weekly therapy doesn’t allow enough time to truly dive in and find clarity, understanding, and resolution.
“The key to restoring connection is first interrupting and dismantling these destructive sequences and then actively constructing a more emotionally open and receptive way of interacting; one in which partners feel safe confiding their hidden fears and longings.”
- Dr. Sue Johnson
Meet Denan
You will be meeting with Denan Burke, LMFT. She is the owner of Mindful Heart Counseling Center and has been practicing EFT for over 15 years. She is a certified EFT therapist and is passionate about the power of this approach and its potential in bringing deeper understanding, closer connection, and profound healing for couples in all types of situations and seasons of life.
Intensive Schedule and Fee Information
We have a basic structured schedule but adjust it according to the needs of the couple. An intensive gives us the option to meet for longer periods of time (since we are not working off of a 50 minute session) and also to collaborate together on when to take breaks and how much time is needed for breaks as we go.
Day 1 = 9am to 4pm
Day 2 = 9am to 3pm
The fee is $2500 and includes our initial online meeting to get to know one another and the full two day intensive. A 2-3 hour session can be added on at the beginning (such as the evening before) or the last day (as a final closing session) at $200/hr. We can talk more about this option at the free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) was founded by Dr. Sue Johnson and is a research based, highly effective form of therapy. EFT helps couples overcome negative communication patterns, strengthen their emotional and intimate connection, learn effective communication, create new ways of interacting, and develop deep and lasting bonds.
Learn more about EFT here.
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The fee is $2500 and includes our initial online meeting to get to know one another and the full two day intensive. A 2-3 hour session can be added on at the beginning (such as the evening before) or the last day (as a final closing session) at $200/hr (prorated). We can talk more about this option at the free consultation.
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We do not take insurance at this time.
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In person at our therapy offices in San Luis Obispo, California.
San Luis Obispo is located on the Central Coast half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
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Although we can’t make guarantees with any therapy process, my hope is that you will get 3-4 months worth of therapy out of the 2-3 days Depending on your goals and where you are in your couples work, it is often necessary to have follow-up counseling to help you integrate the intensive and keep things going strong.
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Absolutely! All couples are welcome.
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No problem! This intensive can support any type of couples work that you are currently doing.
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I am not always available to see couples for weekly follow-up sessions, but sometimes have openings for shorter “mini-intensives” (a 3-4 hour follow-up session). We also have several clinicians in the practice who are trained in and offer EFT that could provide follow-up therapy. One thing to note is that this follow-up is only available for clients that are physically located in California. If I am not available and you are interested in continuing with EFT and live out of state, I will work with you to find a follow-up therapist in your area to keep the work going strong.
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I am happy to get a release of information in order to speak with your current therapist both before and/or after the intensive.
Please note this type of program is not the right option for all situations. If you and/or your partner are experiencing the following, it is better to first address the following in order to have the most successful outcome of an intensive:
Current domestic violence.
Untreated serious mental health issues.
Couples that are certain they want to separate or divorce.
If one of you has little or no motivation to work on the relationship.
If either of you are unwilling to actively engage in the therapy process.
Active alcohol and/or substance abuse for one or both partners that is not currently receiving treatment or intervention and/or requires a higher level of care.
San Luis Obispo, California
The intensive is located half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles in beautiful San Luis Obispo. It’s a scenic area, slow paced, and a wonderful spot to support your therapy process. We are right near downtown which makes it quick and easy to find a variety of places for breakfast and lunch during your intensive.
13 min from Avila Beach
15 min from Pismo Beach
20 min from Morro Bay
There is a wide range of opportunities such as hiking, birdwatching, walking on the beach, strolling through downtown, listening to live music, taking in the local scenery, and so much more as a way to support your therapy work, connection and rest time in between sessions. Even if you are a local, we suggest you try to spend a couple of nights away from home (and the bills, laundry, dishes, and other duties), to really allow yourself to be immersed in the process.
You can find more info about planning your visit on the sites below:
Steps to booking an intensive:
1. Fill out the inquiry form below.
Please fill out the information form below and indicate your preferred method of communication. You will receive a call/text/email back from a therapist to schedule your free online consultation.
2. Attend an online meeting with a therapist.
Attend the online meeting with your potential therapist to hear more about the process, ask any questions you have, and share about your hopes and goals for the intensive process. If you and your potential therapist agree an intensive is a good fit, we can move forward with confirming the dates for your intensive.
3. Prepare for the intensive.
Once you are on the calendar, your therapist will send the necessary paperwork and questionnaires to help us best get to know you as a couple. We also suggest you start reading “Hold Me Tight” by Dr. Sue Johnson. This will set the foundation for our work together and allow us to move more quickly into the process.