Considering couples therapy is a big step! Thank you for stopping by. Just a bit about my experience. I have been helping couples navigate challenging issues for over 30 years. I am passionate about my work and consider it a privilege to be part of your relationship healing.  I find Couples Therapy to be very energizing and rewarding! I am a Certified Gottman Therapist and an approved and verified member of the Gottman Relationship Checkup, The Gottman Referral Network and Certified in The Art and Science of Love Gottman Couples Workshop.

Your Couples Therapy will utilize the Gottman Method for Couples and a Certified Gottman Therapist. The Gottman Method has been scientifically developed and proven from 40 years of research with over 3,000 couples. Dr. Gottman has researched how couples thrive and what leads to separation. You can learn the skills in a therapeutic setting with the support of a trained therapist to calm current crisis, change the tone of your relationship, communicate effectively, resolve and manage conflict productively, and increase the love in your relationship.

The therapy is tailored to your specific couple needs. The Gottman Method Fosters:

  • Fondness and Admiration
  • Develop Positive Perspectives
  • Manage and Resolve Conflict
  • Strengthen Trust and Commitment
  • Shared Sense of Purpose and Dreams
  • The Gottman Method also provides a clear pathway for recovery and healing after an affair, infidelity, and betrayal

Contact me today to get started on your path to rebuild and strengthen your relationship. Shirlene@AdlerianLife.com

Most insurances DO NOT cover marriage counseling.

Couples Intensives

Revitalize your relationship with a Couples Intensive Retreat in beautiful Boise, Idaho where you’ll find great skiing in the winter and summer recreation galore in and around the City of Trees. You will have private, science-based sessions that create lasting change in a shorter time frame than traditional counseling. Retreats are a dynamic alternative to traditional weekly counseling that condenses six to fifteen plus months of therapy into just a few days. Imagine a private, highly-focused setting where you and your partner can move quickly toward the relationship you desire. You will have flexible scheduling options allowing for ample, uninterrupted time to work on your relationship. Couples who want to make big changes quickly, live out of the area, or struggle with setting aside time for weekly appointments are perfect candidates for intensive sessions. Literally every couple expresses how valuable this approach has been for them!

During your intensive, you’ll receive an industry-leading, research-based assessment process and a concentrated deep-dive into your relationship needs as you build, maintain, or repair your connection. You can expect to gain new skills and tools to build your friendship, manage conflict, and create shared meaning. I provide an environment of safety and couples who have experienced this form of therapy describe it as life-changing and transformative.

Choose from a two-day intensive retreat for premarital preparation, or a three to five-day intensive retreat for deeper, more complex wounds or longer term relationships. Despite the “nuts and bolts” approach of this method, the Couples Intensive format may move you more quickly and intensely into the areas of difficulty to be addressed. Therefore, you and/or your partner may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, loneliness, and helplessness. Your therapy may also involve recalling unpleasant aspects of your history together and/or individually. This is done to heal injuries and strengthen the relationship. I am with you every step of the way to help you navigate uncomfortable feelings when they surface. Follow-up sessions help ensure benefits are maintained. This method has proven effectiveness over weekly sessions that are limited in the ability to dive in and take the time needed without having to stop and reorient again a week later.

Don’t give up hope; your relationship deserves the attention and care it needs to thrive.

You Pay:

  • The fee for 18 hours, 3 days of the Intensive Couples Retreat is $5800. Half down holds your scheduled time with the balance due one week prior to beginning. 
  • Couples who engage in follow up sessions have the greatest long term success. The follow-up 90 minute sessions are $275.
  • Insurance does not cover Intensives.

There is no wait list for couples intensives! Intensives are scheduled first come, first served. You can begin revitalizing your relationship in short order! Book a free 30 minute consultation to determine which Private Couples Intensive is right for your relationship. Your relationship deserves the attention and care it needs to thrive. Contact: Shirlene@AdlerianLife.com

Marathon Couples Therapy

Marathon Couples Therapy is a dynamic alternative to traditional weekly therapy sessions.

I am honored to be one of 26 Certified Gottman Therapists worldwide selected by the Gottman Institute to participate in ongoing research.

Would you like to work together and participate in research?

The Gottman Institute is seeking 40 couples to participate in a Gottman Method Marathon Therapy study. There are limited spots available.

I will work with you either online via HIPAA compliant telehealth or in-person. Your participation in this study will not only help your relationship, it will also help us understand what couples are experiencing today and what helps couples cultivate a healthier relationship in couples therapy.

What is Gottman Method Marathon Therapy?

Marathon Couples Therapy is 18-20 hours of therapy offered for three consecutive days.  You will have time to talk in depth about the struggles and challenges of the relationship that simply cannot happen in the traditional style of couples therapy. There is time to process past injuries that have never healed, and time to understand how these injuries have impacted the relationship. There is time to learn and practice new communication skills to help you have more productive conversations. There’s time to rebuild.

I provide an environment of safety for both partners. You will be treated with dignity and respect, without judgment, throughout the process. Couples who have experienced this form of therapy usually describe it as life-changing and transformative.

Marathon Couples Therapy offers some practical benefits as well. It’s a good fit for couples who want intensive therapy but don’t live in the vicinity of a Certified Gottman Therapist. It’s also a good fit for couples whose schedules do not allow for them to go to weekly therapy sessions. And finally, it’s a great fit for couples who need to get help immediately.

It is important, however, that you also understand the risks involved. Despite the “nuts and bolts” approach of this method, the Marathon Couples Therapy format may move you more quickly and intensely into the areas of difficulty to be addressed. Therefore, you and/or your partner may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, loneliness, and helplessness. Your therapy may also involve recalling unpleasant aspects of your history together and/or individually. This is done to heal injuries and strengthen the relationship.

Upon completion of the Marathon Sessions, you will complete seven additional 90-minute follow-up sessions spaced out every three to four weeks. This supports the relationship in continuing to utilize the skills learned in Marathon Therapy and helping the changes made, last.

A Roadmap of Gottman Method Marathon Couples Therapy

After you’ve applied for the study, we will schedule a screening with you to ensure eligibility. This is a free 20-30 minute consultation. The consultation would allow you the opportunity to assure a good fit with me prior to your investment in your relationship.  If you decide to move forward, you will go through the following steps:

Pre-Therapy Questionnaire:

  1. Pre-Therapy Questionnaire: Complete an extensive questionnaire on your relationship at least seven days prior to your first Marathon Session.

Marathon Day 1: 

  1. Assessment Phase: Complete an in-depth Gottman assessment of your relationship that includes exploring your relationships history, your individual histories, and a scientific evaluation of your relationship based on the original Gottman Love Lab assessment using a platform called Gottman Connect. Our comprehensive relationship assessment will pinpoint the areas in which you can achieve the greatest growth so you can move forward to a place of strength, reconnection, and hope.

Marathon Day 1-3:

  1. Treatment Phase: I  will provide specific interventions to support your relationship in moving forward. The treatment phase starts on the second half of day 1 through day 3.

Post Marathon Questionnaire:

  1. Post-Therapy Questionnaire: Complete an extensive questionnaire on your relationship at maximum seven days after your last Marathon session. You will also complete a brief questionnaire about your experience in therapy that I, the therapist, will not see.

Follow-Up Sessions: 

  1. Relapse Prevention: You will complete seven 90-minute follow-up sessions after Marathon Therapy to help solidify the changes made in Marathon. These 90-minute follow-up sessions spaced out every three to four weeks. You and your partner will also receive free access to The Gottman Relationship Builder, a $520 value, to use between sessions to support you in utilizing the skills learned in session, at home.

Follow-Up Questionnaire: 

  1. Post-Follow-Up: Complete an extensive questionnaire on your relationship before the seventh session. This assessment will be used to show you how your relationship has changed from the start of Marathon Therapy to now. I will also highlight strengths and continued opportunities as you move into the 6-month evaluation.

Six-Month Follow-up:

  1. Six months after you completed your last 90-minute session, you will be sent your final questionnaire for the study. This will need to be completed within two weeks and we will schedule a final session so we can highlight how changes have stayed and offer any final guidance as you finish the study.

The Marathon Study: Cost and Compensation for Your Participation

The Gottman Institute believes, as do I, A certified Gottman Therapist, that more research needs to be done. As part of your participation in this study, you will pay for the session fees, as there are no funds to cover the costs of Marathon sessions.

While we aren’t able to cover the cost of session fees, we are able to provide free access to tools and cutting-edge assessment technology, which helps to enhance treatment and reduce the costs of providing care at this level. I provide to you a reduced rate specifically for participating in the study, allowing you to receive care at a lower cost than is available to the general public. You will also receive tools and assessments at no cost, and the reduced rate is offered specifically for study participants.

You Pay:

  • Therapy session fees in this study are a reduced rate for your Marathon sessions to support this research and make treatment more accessible and affordable for you.
  • The fee for 18 hours, 3 days of Marathon Sessions is normally $5800. Your reduced rate is $5600. The follow-up 90 minute sessions are normally $275 but Marathon Research participants receive their follow-up sessions for $225 each.

We Provide (Valued at $1,570):

  • Assessment questionnaires at no charge ($450 value). The Gottman Relationship Checkup questionnaires are provided at no charge.  I will give you access to the new Gottman Connect assessment and provide interpretation of the results that we will go over together.
  • Comprehensive relationship assessment ($600 value). By participating in the study, You will receive a scientific evaluation of your relationship based on the original Gottman Love Lab assessment, using a platform called Gottman Connect. Our comprehensive relationship assessment will pinpoint the areas in which you can achieve the greatest growth so you can move forward to a place of strength, reconnection, and hope.
  • Gottman Relationship Builder ($520 value). You will receive a free copy of The Gottman Relationship Builder to use at the conclusion of your study participation to support you in utilizing the skills learned in session at home. This is a fantastic resource to keep your skills going!

Do you qualify for this study?

To qualify for this study, you must…

  • be presenting for relationship challenges
  • be married or in a committed relationship
  • not have worked with a Certified Gottman Therapist before
    • Working with a Gottman-trained therapist is okay. Many therapists have received Gottman training, but only about 400 at this time have received formal Certification and the highest level of training available. If you are unsure if a therapist you’ve worked with is certified, you can check the Gottman Referral Network for their training level (if they are actively listed), or otherwise, you can inquire about their status at Research@gottman.com.
  • not be actively participating in couples therapy with another therapist at the time of applying
  • not be struggling with an active addiction (substance or sexual)
  • not have a current or ongoing affairs
  • not be attending individual therapy or group counseling. If you are, you must be willing to cease services prior to starting for the duration of your participation in the study

In deciding to participate in this study, you agree to the following:

  • We can work through teletherapy if your location limits your in-person attendance.   You may choose to travel to Boise, ID for in-person for the initial three days of Marathon sessions. If you choose to do so, you will be responsible for traveling expenses.
  • You agree to complete thorough assessment questionnaires at 4 time points during the study. These assessments will be provided to you at no cost and will provide valuable information to you and your partner.
  • At the end of treatment, you will be asked to fill out a short survey about your experience. This is only for the research team and will not be shared with your therapist.

Contact me to schedule a free 30 minute consultation to see if we are a good fit and if you are a candidate for Retreats or Marathon Couples Therapy Research. Shirlene@AdlerianLife.com