This month our newsletter essays will be focusing on Intensive Couples Therapy. We are taking the opportunity to present something from a different take than our typical newsletter. We hope that you find this first entry from Dr. Colby Srsic informative about intensives and consider if they could be a fit for some of your couples.
Do you work with individual clients who spend most of their sessions talking about their relationship? Do you have a client who has been ambivalent for months—or even years—about whether to stay in their marriage? Have you recommended couples counseling only to hear that they tried it before, and “it didn’t really help”? A couples intensive can be a powerful way to shift stuckness, restore momentum, and help couples move toward greater clarity and healing.
What Is a Couples Intensive?
A couples intensive is a focused, immersive form of couples counseling that creates space for deeper exploration, emotional connection, and repair. Rather than meeting weekly for a 50-minute session, couples step out of their daily routines and devote extended, uninterrupted time to their relationship.
In my practice, the assessment and treatment process mirrors traditional Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFCT). The difference is not the model—it is the structure. Instead of weekly sessions, I typically work with couples for two full, back-to-back days of therapy.
During those days, the couple is my only client. This allows for complete flexibility. If couples need to start early to manage childcare, that works. If they need to start later so one partner can exercise or emotionally center beforehand, that works too. When couples slow down, turn off their phones, and devote nine hours over two days to their relationship, it is remarkable what they can accomplish.
Preparation, Collaboration, and Follow-Through
Some of the most important work happens before and after the intensive. When
partners are working with individual therapists, I obtain releases and consult with those clinicians to better understand the couple’s stuck patterns. At the conclusion of the intensive, I recommend ongoing couples therapy approximately 80% of the time. I carefully vet referrals and provide an 8–10 page written summary of the intensive which is shared with both partners and all therapists involved in the case. If the next couples therapist cannot see them right away, I offer follow up sessions to provide a bridge and help couples maintain their gains. For couples who do not require ongoing couples counseling, I offer a follow-up session several months later (typically 90 minutes) to assess how well they have sustained their progress.
How the Work Unfolds
For most couples, the intensive focuses primarily on EFT Stage One work, slowing
negative interaction patterns, accessing underlying emotions and attachment needs, practicing new relational moves, and experiencing one another differently in real time.
Couples who enter without high escalation are even able to move into Stage Two work during the intensive. The major difference between traditional couples therapy and an intensive is time.
Because the work is continuous, couples remain emotionally engaged long enough for meaningful shifts to occur. Rather than repeatedly “starting over” each week, the momentum builds and deeper emotions can be accessed. Many couples are also able to engage in vulnerable conversations that address injuries to trust and attachment, conversations that have often been previously difficult to access.
Why Time Matters
One of the biggest challenges of weekly couples therapy is loss of momentum. Travel, illness, work schedules, or family demands can stretch sessions weeks apart. By the time couples return, emotional access may be gone and the cycle re-established. In a single intensive, couples often accomplish what might otherwise take four to six months of weekly therapy. Couples intensives are not about rushing the work. They are about creating enough time and safety for the work to deepen.
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.
Next newsletter: Dr. Srsic discusses why her practice, Relationship Counseling of Ohio, exclusively provides couples intensives, and how the role of intensives in the broader treatment landscape.
Now on with this week’s Ohio EFT Newsletter:
6 Unconventional Ways to Spark Sexual Desire.
by Catherine Pearson on February 2nd, 2026
Experts say scheduling sex is fine, but there are even more effective ways to cultivate intimacy.
In Search Of A Platonic Co-Parent.
by Alyson Kruger on February 2nd, 2026
Platforms that match partners in procreation are experiencing a post-pandemic uptick.
Ohio EFT 2026 Survey Will Be Closing Soon… We Want To Hear From You!
by Ohio EFT Board on February 2nd, 2026
Ohio EFT is growing - and we want to make sure we're growing in the right direction.
Over the past few years, we've built something special: a community of therapists who are genuinely invested in EFT and in supporting each other's work. We've had monthly calls, explored the steps & stage of EFT together, and even hosted an in-person networking event in Columbus last month.
Now we're asking for your help.
We've put together a short survey to gather your input on what you'd like to see from Ohio EFT in the coming year. Your responses will directly shape our programming, events, and resources.
[Take the Ohio EFT 2026 Interest Survey→]
If you’re already filled it out - thank you! If you haven’t, this should only take a few minutes, and your feedback matters - whether you've been with us since 2022 or you're just discovering what we're building.
Thanks for being part of this community, and for helping us figure out what comes next.
Save The Date! EFT Externship with Dr. James Hawkins.
by Ohio EFT on February 2nd, 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.
A Parent’s Only Wish: ‘I Just Want to Sit in My Car and Scroll’.
by Julie Jargon on February 2nd, 2026
The minutes before entering the house are a treasured window of peace. Just don’t get caught on camera.
How To Make Friends As An Adult.
by Laura Regensdorf on February 2nd, 2026
A practical guide for expanding your circle, with advice from sociable people.
The Next Ohio EFT Virtual Call - Friday, February 27th.
by Ohio EFT on February 2nd, 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 for a link to the call.
5 Cooking Date Nights To Enjoy Together At Home.
by Victoria Caruso on February 2nd, 2026
Valentine’s Day recipes, including pizza and cocktails for a date night in.
Why ‘Aspirational Clutter’ Is Some Of The Hardest To Part With.
by Jolie Kerr on February 2nd, 2026
Serving platters for dinner parties we’ll never throw, equipment for hobbies we’ll never pursue: The gap between who we are and who we want to be often takes the form of unused stuff around the house.
