During the past 25 years, Dr. Schwartz and Lori Galperin MSW have provided relationship therapy for hundreds of couples. Thanks to the extensive experience they’ve gained over the years across a broad array of relationships issues, what is necessary for therapy to be its most effective is well understood and practiced at MIT.
First, both partners must learn new ways of interacting. They must master skills for solving problems, listening, dealing with anger, frustration and passivity, and creating quality interactions. Second, they must practice these new ways of interacting until deep and authentic change takes place. Third, they must be guided to examine the places where they are stuck or blocked that interfere with this change.
Rarely does once-a-week therapy allow for these three criteria to be met, regardless of how long the therapy goes on. Momentum matters in therapy. The right frequency of sessions is critical to long-lasting success.
Our solution, and one that has worked well for us over the past 25 years, is the retreat model of initial intensive therapy away from home, followed by at-home sessions as needed. The couple stays for seven days at accommodations near our Institute. We meet with them three hours each day and then have them use the rest of the day to practice the skills and techniques we discussed. This concentrated focus on healing the relationship is very effective when done away from work, kids and other stressors.
We also use a co-therapy team for each session. In therapy, we actually treat three clients: the two partners and the relationship itself. Each partner learns new ways of interacting. Then the relationship itself—the special entity that the two partners create—is treated to help it become a healthy, supportive force. This is a complicated process, so we assign one therapist to each partner and then untie them as a co-therapy team to work on the relationship. By doing this, strong therapeutic relationships are built with each partner, while avoiding the possibility of bias when one partner feels the therapist is siding with the other partner.
Finally, during the morning of a 90 minute session, we work on changing how the couples interact. During the second 90 minutes session, in the afternoon we work with one individual intensively to remove blocks from the past that interfere with intimacy.
Our unique and time-tested marital retreat approach has restored passion, intensity, and love to relationships that had deteriorated due to neglect and misunderstanding. After the retreat ends, couples can follow-up with a local therapist or with us via Skype. These follow-up visits insure that positive changes are maintained and daily stresses and misunderstandings do not damage the new foundation the partners built at the retreat.
You have your choice of staying in apartments near the water that we lease or a local hotel, which we have established a reduced rate of $100 per night.
Client typically comes from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., or 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and 3:00-4:30 p.m., or 4:30 to 6:00pm. We work with a maximum of two couples per therapy team, at any given time.
It depends, but typically we schedule 30 days in advance.
We typically can charge the individual’s insurance for Intensive Outpatient Therapy. However, for out-of-pocket fees, we typically ask for cash upfront or credit card.
Yes, you can request to have sessions with the therapist individually.
We will give each individual, confidentiality. If the secret interferes with progress in therapy, we may stop the therapy prematurely.
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I am interested in more information about the couples retreat and possibly a consultation. Is there pricing information that can be emailed or mailed to me? Thank you! My address is 137 Marshall Creek Ct. Ben Lomond CA 95005.