Is this retreat for people whose marriage is in trouble?

A luxury couples retreat welcomes couples at very different points. Some arrive in real crisis, wanting focused time to work through something painful. Others have a fundamentally good relationship and simply want to strengthen it, deepen their connection, or address a specific pattern before it grows. Difficulty in a relationship is common and not a sign of failure. Whatever your starting point, the retreat provides dedicated space to understand one another and move forward together.

What can I expect from a couples therapy retreat?

An intensive couples therapy retreat centers on private sessions with Andrew Sofin and structured days built around your goals. Instead of squeezing conversation into a single weekly hour, you get concentrated, uninterrupted time to focus on each other, free from daily distractions. Mornings generally hold couples work, afternoons allow individual reflection, and the pace adjusts to what you need. The aim is genuine understanding and steady progress, guided at every step by an experienced clinician.

What if my partner isn't sure about this?

Hesitation is completely normal, and no one should feel pushed. Many couples begin with one partner more certain than the other, and that is fine. Rather than pressing for a decision, you might simply share this page so your partner can read about the format and the private, one-on-one approach at their own pace. A luxury couple retreat works best when both people feel they arrived by choice, so there is time and room to consider it together.

How far in advance should I book?

Lead times vary based on schedules and your preferred setting, so it helps to reach out early to discuss timing and availability for your retreat. Because each retreat is private and led personally by Andrew Sofin, planning ahead gives you and your partner the widest range of dates and locations to choose from. There is no rush and no deadline pressure attached to any of this. The right time is whenever you and your partner feel ready to begin the conversation together.

Are there situations you don't work with?

Every couple’s circumstances are different, and fit is best understood through a direct conversation rather than assumptions. Some situations may call for specialized care, and Andrew Sofin can talk through whether luxury couples retreats are the right approach for you both or another path would serve you better. The clearest next step is a consultation to discuss your goals and circumstances, so you can decide together, with honest, informed guidance, what will help most.

Crisis Marriage Retreat

A marriage crisis retreat gives couples in acute distress the concentrated, private space to steady things and reconnect. At Couples Retreat, Andrew Sofin personally leads this work, one couple at a time. Reaching a crisis point is not failure. It simply means something important needs focused attention, and this format gives you both the uninterrupted time to offer it together.

Defining the Crisis Marriage Retreat

A marriage crisis retreat is concentrated, private, one-couple-at-a-time work for acute distress. Unlike weekly 50-minute sessions, this setting lets sessions run as long as clinically necessary. That is what sets a private marriage crisis retreat apart from a standard intensive. It also shapes an intensive marriage retreat for couples in crisis. With more than 25 years of clinical experience, Andrew Sofin leads every retreat himself, offering a format shaped around the couple in front of him.

Defining the Crisis Marriage Retreat

Who a Crisis Retreat Serves

This format is built for couples facing infidelity, entrenched communication breakdown, or high-conflict patterns that have brought them close to contemplating separation. Many arrive after trying traditional counseling without the results they hoped for. Seeking help at a crisis point takes courage, and there is nothing to feel ashamed of. When weekly sessions have not created enough momentum, concentrated time can help a couple hear each other and address what is actually happening between them.

How Time-Sensitive Intake Works

A pre-arrival clinical intake gathers your history, context, and goals before the retreat begins. When a relationship is under strain, this matters. It means the opening hours are not spent collecting background information that could have been shared earlier. Instead, the therapeutic work can start with real focus from the very first session. The intake gives Andrew Sofin the full picture he needs to work purposefully with both partners from the moment you arrive.

What the Retreat Structure Includes

A marriage crisis retreat follows a consecutive-day format rather than appointments spread across separate weeks. That continuity keeps momentum from session to session. Session length is determined by clinical need, not fixed time blocks, so the work can go where it needs to go. Aftercare planning is built into the retreat itself, not treated as a separate add-on, so you leave with a clear sense of how to carry the work forward together.

Individual and Joint Session Balance

A single retreat day weaves together joint sessions, where you and your partner work as a couple, and individual sessions with each of you. This balance lets deeper personal material surface alongside shared conversation. Continuity comes from one clinician working across both formats, not a rotating team, so nothing gets lost in handoffs. Andrew Sofin holds the full picture throughout, which gives the individual and joint work a coherence that group programs may not offer.

Individual and Joint Session Balance

Confidentiality and Safety Protocols

A private marriage crisis retreat is removed from daily-life distractions and public exposure, giving you room to speak honestly. Only one couple works with Andrew Sofin at a time, so a marriage crisis retreat here is never a group workshop. Privacy protects your information, and it also protects something quieter: the emotional safety to be open without an audience. That combination of discretion and steadiness is what allows difficult conversations to happen at a workable pace.

Andrew Sofin and Couples Retreat

Every marriage crisis retreat at Couples Retreat is led personally by Andrew Sofin, MA, RP, TCF, RMFT. With more than 25 years of clinical experience, he brings depth and steadiness to acute situations. He also serves as President of the Canadian Association for Couples and Family Therapy (CACFT). What sets this apart is the named-clinician model: one experienced therapist working with your relationship from intake through aftercare, giving your work a continuity and accountability that rotating-staff programs may not offer.

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frequently asked questions

How is a crisis marriage retreat different from regular intensive therapy?

A crisis marriage retreat uses the same private, consecutive-day format as a standard intensive, but it is framed around urgency and acute distress. The intake and early sessions are oriented toward helping the relationship stabilize quickly rather than working through general skill-building over time. The emphasis is on giving a couple in real difficulty concentrated, focused attention right away, so the most pressing issues get addressed first while the momentum of consecutive days is working in your favor.

How quickly can we begin a crisis marriage retreat?

The best first step is to reach out directly and start the intake conversation with Andrew Sofin. Because timing depends on your situation and current availability, we keep expectations general rather than promising a specific number of days. What matters most is opening that conversation so the pre-arrival intake can begin. Once you connect, you will get a clear picture of what starting a marriage crisis retreat looks like and how the process would move forward for you.

Is a crisis marriage retreat only for couples considering divorce?

No. While some couples arrive weighing separation, a crisis marriage retreat also fits high-conflict patterns, infidelity, or acute disconnection well short of any divorce consideration. The format supports whatever the couple genuinely needs to work through. It is not designed to push either partner toward reconciliation or any predetermined outcome. The work centers on helping you both understand what is happening and reach your own decisions about the relationship, at your own pace.

Will Andrew Sofin work with us individually as well as together?

Yes. A retreat includes both joint sessions, where you and your partner work as a couple, and individual sessions with each of you. This lets personal material surface alongside the shared conversation. Andrew Sofin is the same clinician throughout, so there is continuity across both formats, and nothing gets lost between different providers. Holding the whole picture himself allows him to connect what emerges individually with the work you do together as a couple.

What happens after the crisis marriage retreat ends?

Aftercare planning is part of a private marriage crisis retreat, not a separate service you arrange later. Before you leave, you and Andrew Sofin map out how to carry the work forward so the gains made during your consecutive days have support at home. We keep the specifics general rather than promising a set number of follow-up sessions, because the right plan depends on your situation. The goal is a clear, workable path forward that fits your relationship.