Our private marriage retreats are recommended for couples who want to create a healthy marriage through:

• Improved couples communication,
• Resolving sexual problems,
• Healing from an affair,
• Finding new ways to resolve conflict, or
• Deepen sexual intimacy.

But marriage retreats are also wonderful when you want to:

• Refresh the passion you once had,
• Create your vision for a healthy marriage going into retirement,
• Explore more creative sexual intimacy, or
• Simply give yourself the gift of an educational and inspirational vacation.

HOW OUR COUPLES MARRIAGE RETREATS WORK

We have two formats: a three-day retreat and a four-day retreat. We'll help you decide which is better for you, based on your situation, and the needs of your relationship.

We begin ahead of time; you’ll fill out some questionnaires and we may follow up with phone interviews with each of you so we can get to know you as much as possible and understand your specific situation and goals.

Then you’ll arrive in Durango, Colorado where you’ll make yourselves comfortable at a B&B or hotel of your choice. On the first afternoon, you’ll meet us in our log home, where we’ll spend the day diving deeply into understanding your history and your personal vision for a healthy marriage.

We’ll teach you tried and true couples communication tools, and we’ll help you get started deepening the way you talk and listen to each other. As you take time to slow down, we’ll all begin to understand how you got where you are and what it will take to help you break through and resolve the relationship problems you wish to work on.

Our days together are designed to meet your specific relationship goals, personality, and styles of learning. We’ll take breaks; have some snacks, maybe, even go outside for a walk and talk. Our approach to couples work is based on our belief that a healthy marriage is one where both people feel free to be themselves and to connect with each other in mutually satisfying ways. We have found that there are many ways to enhance and enliven couples connection.

We use dialogue, relationship education, non-verbal awareness exercises, partner yoga, and experiments with new ways of relating. We facilitate in helping you express yourselves skillfully, honestly, and with as much depth as possible.

Kate is an equine therapist and uses horses to help people learn about themselves and relationships. Sometimes we may opt to introduce you to our herd and include them in our work with you.

You’ll find us to be a loving, safe, humorous team with a sharp set of skills to help you take risks, open your heart, and come to resolution, healing, and understanding. (For more about our background and approach to psychotherapy, see ABOUT US).

Each daily session is four hours. We have found that this is the best amount of time to work mindfully without overwhelming the body, mind, or emotional systems. In the afternoons, you’ll be on your own to practice and integrate new skills and have some rest. Some people like to hike, shop, drive up into the mountains, or explore our ancient Puebloan heritage sites as a way to help them digest the processes we go through during our marriage retreats.

In southwest Colorado any season can be used for rest and relaxation. It is sunny 300 days a year; the people are friendly, and the activities endless. We also have really good restaurants here in the four corners!

People Who Have Participated In Our Couples Marriage Retreats Have Addressed:

Our experience:
As a couple we have developed our capacity to work as a couple counseling team through 27 years of marriage, as well as working professionally together for nearly 35 years. Both of us are relationship educators and workshop presenters; Joel is a certified relationship coach, Kate is a licensed social worker. We take time every day to energize our connection and work on maintaining our very healthy marriage.

Different from traditional couples therapy:
Our couples marriage retreats offer a different approach to creating a healthy marriage, solving sexual problems, healing from an affair, or increasing your couples communication. Usually you go to a 50-60 minute session once a week or twice a month with one therapist. It is not often you can work with a couples counseling and coaching team to help you break through your relationship problems, and reconnect at a deep level. We weave together many methods of couples therapy, relationship coaching, education, and skill building, depending upon your needs, goals, and styles of learning.

Our approach is non-sectarian reflecting our respect for people of all walks of life and all spiritual traditions. Our time with you will reflect our years of personal growth, training, and education, as well as our experience over the last ten years developing and evolving our specialized marriage retreats for couples of any age, any length of commitment, any sexual orientation.

Our specialty is all about helping you create a healthy marriage. This could include but is not limited to: