Why I Exclusively Offer Couples Intensives: Increased Depth, Momentum, and
Hope
Like many clinicians, my phone began ringing off the hook with distressed couples when the pandemic hit. I felt frustrated that I had no way to fit them in, and many of the colleagues I typically refer to were also full. At the same time, I was reflecting on the traditional weekly model while practicing Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT). While I am a strong believer in EFCT and trust its ability to create lasting change, I often found myself constrained by the pace. I might have a deeply meaningful session with a couple, only to have three or four weeks pass before the next appointment due to travel, illness, or competing demands. Sometimes, by the time they returned, the momentum we had built felt diminished. Three years ago, I began piloting a couples intensive model, and I have been hooked ever since. Today, I have worked with more than 90 couples using this approach, and my practice, Relationship Counseling of Ohio, exclusively provides couples intensives.
Couples Who Have “Tried Everything”
I have found intensives to be especially effective for couples who have already worked with multiple therapists and therapeutic models. These couples are often exhausted, discouraged, and unsure whether change is even still possible. The most common thing couples say as they leave my office is not that everything is fixed, but that they feel clearer about what they are working toward and how to get there. Most importantly, they typically report greater hope in their ability to get there. That clarity and hope are often important motivators for couples to continue this important work.
Additional Outcomes I Frequently See
Beyond immediate relational shifts, intensives often catalyze important next steps. Trauma survivors who have never pursued individual therapy often become motivated to do so once they can clearly see how trauma is interfering with the connection they are seeking with their partner. Also, partners who were unwilling to commit to ongoing couples therapy are often willing to try an intensive—and many later choose to continue with regular couples counseling after the intensive is complete. I have also witnessed the way intensives can open the door to treatment when a partner is struggling with addiction, and they are able to understand the way drugs or alcohol have hijacked their attachment system. In cases of acute crisis, such as the recent disclosure of an affair or significant breach, intensives can provide a level of containment and stabilization that weekly therapy simply cannot. When couples are “bleeding out,” one hour a week is rarely sufficient. Extended, supported time can help them regain footing and begin the healing process.
The Role of Intensives in the Broader Treatment Landscape
I often think of couples intensives as the urgent care of couples counseling. They are not a cure-all, many couples arrive after years and years of hurt and pain, but they can play a powerful role in helping couples feel better faster. Intensives can serve as a critical intervention, a catalyst for deeper work, or an important adjunct to individual and ongoing couples therapy.
For more information about the couples intensives I provide, please visit
www.RCOhio.com or email me at drcolbysrsic@rcohio.com.
Dr. Srsic is a counseling Psychologist and has a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. She has been practicing in Worthington (northern suburb of Columbus) for over 25 years. Dr. Srsic has also taught graduate and undergraduate courses at the Ohio State University. She is certified in Emotionally Focused Couples therapy and EMDR. She is committed to growing the Ohio EFT community and has co-hosted two externships and one series of core skills in the Columbus area.
Now on with this week’s Ohio EFT Newsletter:
The New Family Intervention: We Need to Talk About Your AI Habit.
by Katherine Bindley on February 16th, 2026
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A Stanford Experiment to Pair 5,000 Singles Has Taken Over Campus.
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A student built a matchmaking algorithm that has consumed the school—and highlighted the challenges of finding love for high achievers.
5 Unofficial Love Languages.
by Jancee Dunn on February 16th, 2026
For Valentine’s Day, relationship experts share a few ways to show our partners that we care.
Save The Date! EFT Externship with Dr. James Hawkins.
by Ohio EFT on February 16th, 2026
We’ve been working behind the scenes to secure an in-person EFT Externship in Ohio for 2026, and we’ve just secured the dates for Dr. James Hawkins to lead 4 days of intensive training in the Columbus area. Mark you calendars now for August 5th through the 8th for this immersive training experience. Keep an eye on this newsletter for more details.
Why Do Some People Just Click?
by Kate Murphy on February 16th, 2026
You know it when you feel it, with a co-worker, friend or stranger. The science of interpersonal synchrony explains how ‘clicking’ can be a fast track to intimacy—or drama.
What’s the Secret to Happiness? These Researchers Have a Theory.
by Catherine Pearson on February 16th, 2026
A new book, “How to Feel Loved,” links our social skills to how content we are.
The Next Ohio EFT Virtual Call - Friday, February 27th.
by Ohio EFT on February 16th, 2026
Join us at 9:00am on Friday, February 27th as we explore EFT Step 5, where couples enter Stage 2. In this step, partners are able to talk about their feelings that get triggered by the negative cycle, including things they might not have been able to say before.
Send me a direct message here on LinkedIn for a link to the call.
I Got a Shocking Diagnosis in My Forties. It Explained Everything.
by Katherine Bindley on February 16th, 2026
I laughed when a clinical psychologist first told me she suspected I had the disorder. Once I understood it better, my life made more sense.
How to Break Free From Guilt.
by Jancee Dunn on February 16th, 2026
It can prompt you to do the right thing, but it can also drag you down.
