Reconnect and Heal: Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) Intensives

If you and your partner are feeling disconnected, stuck in repetitive conflicts, or yearning for a deeper emotional bond, our Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) Intensives offer a transformative path forward. Based on Dr. Sue Johnson’s award-winning approach, EFCT is a research-backed method designed to help couples rebuild trust, enhance intimacy, and break free from negative patterns.​

What Are EFCT Couples Therapy Intensives?

EFCT Intensives are immersive, full-day or multi-day therapy sessions that allow couples to make significant progress in a condensed timeframe. Unlike traditional weekly sessions, these intensives provide uninterrupted time to explore core emotional issues, practice new communication skills, and create lasting change.​

Why Choose an Intensive?

  • Accelerated Progress: Intensives can achieve in one or two days what might take months in weekly therapy.

  • Deep Emotional Work: Extended sessions provide the space to uncover and address underlying emotional needs and fears.

  • Focused Attention: With no other clients present, the therapist’s full attention is dedicated to your relationship.

  • Immediate Tools: Walk away with practical strategies to improve communication, emotional connection, and conflict resolution.​

Who Can Benefit?

EFCT Intensives are ideal for couples who:​

  • Feel emotionally distant or misunderstood

  • Experience recurring conflicts or communication breakdowns

  • Have experienced trauma, infidelity, or betrayal

  • Desire to strengthen their emotional bond and intimacy​

What to Expect During an Intensive

Each EFCT Intensive is tailored to your unique relationship dynamics and goals. Typically, the process includes:​

  1. Initial Assessment: Understanding your relationship history, current challenges, and individual needs.

  2. Emotional Exploration: Identifying and expressing core emotions that drive negative patterns.

  3. Restructuring Interactions: Learning new ways to respond to each other with empathy and vulnerability.

  4. Integration: Strengthening new patterns of connection and developing strategies to maintain these changes long after the intensive ends

Why EFCT Works

EFCT is grounded in attachment theory and has been extensively researched, showing that:​

  • 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery

  • Approximately 90% show significant improvements

  • Improvements are lasting, even under stress​

By focusing on emotional needs and fostering secure bonds, EFCT helps couples create a safe and supportive relationship foundation.​

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) Intensives in Alberta

A powerful, focused path toward reconnection, healing, and lasting change

Why Choose an EFCT Couples Counselling Intensive?

You're Caught in Repeating, Painful Patterns

You argue about the same issues or avoid each other to keep the peace. One of you pursues, the other withdraws. It’s a cycle—what EFCT calls a “negative pattern.” An EFCT Intensive helps you identify this dynamic and begin shifting it—together.

You're Ready for Real, Lasting Change

You want more than conflict management. You want to feel safe again—close again. Our intensive therapy process helps you access and share the deeper emotions underneath defensiveness, distance, and hurt, creating space for healing instead of more conflict.

You're Facing a Relationship Crisis

Infidelity, separation, or betrayal—some relationship ruptures need more than weekly therapy. EFCT Intensives provide focused, immediate support and a structured space to begin rebuilding trust and connection.

You’re Not Fighting, But You Feel Far Apart

Not all disconnects are loud. Some couples live like roommates—peaceful, but distant. An EFCT Intensive helps you rediscover emotional intimacy, connection, and the sense of “us” you may have lost.

When EFCT Intensives Make Sense

Traditional weekly therapy can be powerful, but it’s not always feasible or fast enough for every couple. An intensive can be a game-changer if:

You Have Busy or Conflicting Schedules

Shift work, travel, and irregular routines make it hard to commit to weekly sessions. An intensive offers a dedicated window to invest in your relationship without ongoing scheduling stress.

You’re in a Long-Distance Relationship

Weekly therapy isn’t always realistic across time zones. EFCT Intensives allow you to make deep emotional progress in just a few days together.

You Live in a Rural Area

If access to a qualified EFCT therapist is limited in your region, an intensive gives you expert support without needing to travel multiple times per month.

You Want More Privacy

Weekend intensives offer exclusive use of our space in Olds, Alberta. Whether you’re a public couple or just value privacy, this format gives you peace of mind and protected time.

You Need Deep Emotional Reconnection—Fast

Stuck in old patterns? Needing to “feel something again”? Intensives offer a focused, immersive opportunity to reconnect emotionally, with expert support.

What Happens in an EFCT Intensive?

Every intensive is structured, but personalized. Here's what you can expect:

Step 1: Understand Your Cycle

We begin by identifying the emotional “dance” that keeps you disconnected—often one partner pursues while the other withdraws. We help you recognize and understand this pattern together.

Step 2: Deepen Emotional Understanding

We create a safe space where you both can express the emotions behind the reactions—hurt, fear, longing, or loneliness. This is where empathy and connection begin.

Step 3: Repair Past Hurts

Your therapist will guide you through processing unresolved pain—such as betrayal or past emotional injuries—so that healing and forgiveness can begin.

Step 4: Create New Responses

We teach you how to respond to each other with empathy and emotional accessibility, building new patterns of trust and intimacy.

Step 5: Build Lasting Change

We’ll help you integrate these new patterns into daily life, giving you tools and strategies to maintain progress long after the intensive ends.

Flexible Intensive Options & Sample Schedules

Intensive Formats:

  • 2–3 Hour Mini Intensives (120–180 minutes)

  • 4–8 Hour Full-Day Intensives (divided into 1 hour 50-minute sessions with breaks)

One-Day Plus Format

Thursday Evening: 75-minute Couple Session
Friday:

  • Morning: Two Individual Sessions (75 minutes each)

  • Afternoon: 4-Hour Couples Therapy Session (with lunch break)

Two-Day Plus Format

Thursday Evening: 75-minute Intro Session
Friday:

  • Morning: Two Individual Sessions (75 minutes each)

  • Afternoon: 4-Hour Couples Session
    Saturday:

  • Morning: 3-Hour Couples Session

  • Afternoon: Final 3-Hour Couples Session

Follow-Up Session (2–4 weeks later): 75-minute session online or in-person

In-Person & Hybrid Options

Our intensives are held in Olds, Alberta. For out-of-town couples, we suggest staying nearby to create a retreat-like experience.

Need flexibility? The initial individual and couples sessions can be done online earlier in the week, followed by the in-person portion on Friday and Saturday.

Investment & Fees

  • 75-Minutes: $375

  • 2 Hours: $600

  • 3 Hours: $900

  • 4 Hours: $1,200

  • 8 Hours: $2,400

  • Additional time: $250 per 50 minutes

Payment is due in full at time of booking.

Are EFCT Intensives Right for You?

You’re likely a great fit if:

  • You both want to work on the relationship

  • Weekly therapy hasn’t been enough

  • You’re navigating a major decision or crisis

  • You want privacy and focused support

  • You're ready to reconnect and do the emotional work

When an Intensive May Not Be Appropriate

An EFCT Intensive may not be the best fit if:

  • There is ongoing abuse or violence

  • One partner is unwilling to attend

  • There is a current, undisclosed affair

  • There are untreated addictions or acute mental health concerns

These situations are best addressed in individual therapy or with additional support before engaging in an intensive.

Why EFCT Intensives Work

  • Dedicated time without distraction

  • Emotional depth beyond surface-level conflict

  • A therapist who can guide you through repair

  • Real, visible progress in just one or two days

What Happens After the Intensive?

An EFCT Intensive is a powerful reset—but new patterns take practice. We recommend follow-up therapy to help anchor the progress you’ve made.

You can continue with your intensive therapist or transition to another EFCT provider. Either way, we’ll help make it smooth and collaborative.

Your Relationship Deserves This

Relationships don’t fall apart overnight—and they don’t heal overnight, either. But they can heal—with guidance, care, and space.

Whether you're facing a turning point or quietly longing for more, an EFCT Intensive offers you the time and support to slow down, reconnect, and begin again.

You deserve that chance.
If you're ready to explore whether an EFCT Intensive is right for your relationship, contact us for a consultation. We're here to help you find your way back to each other.

Ready to Reconnect?

If you're ready to invest in your relationship and experience lasting change, contact us to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. Together, we can determine if an EFCT Intensive is the right fit for you.​

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