What is a marriage intensive? Days of work, not an hour a week.
A marriage intensive is days of work on the marriage in a row, with a teacher or therapist, instead of an hour a week. Most run two to five days. Ours is the three-day Couples Workshop: taught live, built for marriages in crisis, and open to a spouse who comes alone.
How an intensive is different from counseling. And why that matters when the marriage is the emergency.
A good counselor is the right call for trauma, addiction or a diagnosis. An intensive is the right call when the marriage itself is the emergency and one or both of you is close to done.
Days in a row, not an hour a week.
Counseling gives you fifty minutes and a week to lose the thread. An intensive keeps you in the work for three full days, so what you learn on day one is still in your hands on day three.
Taught, not talked through.
This is not a conversation about your marriage with a referee. It is teaching: what is actually happening, why what you have tried has not worked, and what to do instead.
You can come alone.
Most counselors need both of you in the room. Many spouses come to the workshop by themselves, and the teaching covers what to do whether your spouse is there or not.
You leave with a plan, not homework.
Specific plays for the first 30 days at home. What to say. What to stop saying. What to do when the old patterns try to come back.
This workshop was different than any other marriage therapy or counseling we had done previously. The tools shared throughout the workshop you can put into practice on Day 1!
From a card handed in at the end of a workshop.
Who an intensive is built for.
We are honest about who fits the workshop and who does not. Most of the couples in the room are the ones a counselor called too far gone.
This is for you if
- You want to save your marriage and your spouse is not sure, or has said no.
- There has been an affair and you do not know what to do with it.
- You have tried counseling and it did not move the needle.
- You are afraid of saying the wrong thing every time you open your mouth.
- You are willing to do something different than what you have been doing.
This is not for you if
- There is active physical abuse. We refer those cases to specialists.
- You are looking for validation that you should leave.
- You expect us to convince your spouse to feel something they do not.
- You want a one-hour fix instead of three days of work.
- You are not married yet. The workshop is for marriages, including separated ones.
What couples wrote on their way out.
Handwritten cards from real attendees at the end of an in-person workshop.
Until today, I thought Lasik surgery was the best investment I've ever made. This workshop is the best investment I've ever made for my family and I.
Workshop attendee
What seems like a "pricey" weekend returns a "priceless" gift. You. Whatever the reason, attending will make a better you. It doesn't cost to attend, it costs to not attend!
Workshop attendee
This workshop gave me the tools and the hope to fight for my marriage, and to fight well. I left home as one person, but am returning different. It is still me, but a new me, a better me.
Workshop attendee
You can't force your spouse to change but you can change your relationship.
Workshop attendee
There is hope for every couple. Don't give up on your spouse! Everyone can work on themselves and change!
Workshop attendee
My husband whom I have been separated from for the last 9 months asked me to come and I said no. A day before the workshop started I agreed and I'm so glad I did.
Workshop attendee, separated nine months
The seven steps, taught across the three days.
In this order. The first four are things one spouse can do alone, which is why the workshop works even when your spouse is unsure. The last three are the work you do together once there is something to build on.
- Calm DownGet out of crisis-brain so you can think.
- Get ClaritySee what's actually happening, not the worst story.
- Stop Pushes & Start PullsTrade the reactions that repel for the ones that draw.
- Forgive & ReconcileBegin the forgiving that frees you first.
- Rebuild TrustMake change visible over time, not in one promise.
- Ignite Intimacy & PassionRestore the friendship before the spark returns.
- Build Your Dream Life TogetherAim the marriage at something worth staying for.
Three days. One outcome: you leave knowing what to do.
The workshop runs across three days, taught live by our team. You are in the room with other couples in your situation, doing the work in real time.
Day one: see it clearly
What is really going on in your marriage. Why what you have been doing has not worked. The pattern you are stuck in, and how to step out of it.
Day two: do the hard work
Forgiveness, accountability, and the conversations you have been avoiding. This is the day couples remember.
Day three: leave with a plan
Specific plays for the first 30 days. What to say. What to stop saying. What to do when the old patterns try to come back.
Choose how you'll attend.
Both formats, in person in Spring Hill, TN or live online, cover all three days. The Couples Workshop is $5,000, with payment plans we set up on your application call. There is no payment to apply.
Attend as a couple
Both spouses, all three days, couple-specific materials and a plan you build together.
Apply as a coupleAttend solo
Come on your own when your spouse will not, and still learn exactly what to do at home.
Apply soloCouples who were sure it was over.
Real people who sat in this room. Hundreds more tell their stories on our YouTube channel.
“We were so close to giving up. We came in with almost no hope, and we left with a plan and a real reason to stay.”
Watch their story “We were treated with complete respect. Nothing was forced on us, and that is what let us actually do the work.”
Watch their story “We would not be where we are now without it. We finally learned how to reach for each other again.”
Watch their story What couples say on Google.
We had a wonderful Zoom workshop weekend. Everyone at Marriage Helper was great. We both learned a lot about each other, even after 45 years of marriage. It is never too late to learn to be your best.
I was a little skeptical that it would work for us before we went to the workshop, but boy, was I wrong. If you are not sure about this, DO IT! We have attended traditional therapy for 3 years and made more progress in just one weekend.
One of the most professional workshops I have ever been involved in. The information was clear, easy to understand, and very insightful. I would recommend it to any married couple at any stage of their marriage.
Got so much out of the 3-day workshop. I especially liked the practical, hands-on tools that were given, and it made the time go by fast. My hope is that they will make a change for the better in my marriage and in my immediate family.
Unlike counseling, this program focused on what we could change about ourselves, rather than rehashing everything that we were doing to make each other miserable. Rather than leaving angry, embarrassed and bitter...we fell in love again and are happily married seven years later!!!
The workshop was extremely helpful. We both learned a lot of information about each other that we otherwise would have never learned. Worth every penny of the cost. Highly recommend it!
Upcoming workshop dates.
- November 6-8, 2026 Couples Workshop. Live online Apply →
- November 13-15, 2026 Couples Workshop. In person, Spring Hill, TN Apply →
- November 20-22, 2026 Solo Workshop. Live online, attend solo Apply →
- December 4-6, 2026 Couples Workshop. Live online Apply →
- December 11-13, 2026 Couples Workshop. In person, Spring Hill, TN Apply →
- December 11-13, 2026 Solo Workshop. Live online, attend solo Apply →
Apply for the next workshop.
Every couple is screened. The application takes about five minutes. We read every response and reach out with available dates and next steps once you submit.
Start your applicationQuestions people ask about intensives.
Is a marriage intensive the same as a marriage retreat?
Not quite. A retreat is usually enrichment for couples who are doing fine and want time together. An intensive is for a marriage in trouble: the days are structured, the teaching is specific, and you leave with a plan. The Marriage Helper Couples Workshop is an intensive.
How much does a marriage intensive cost?
The Couples Workshop is $5,000 for the three days, with payment plans available. Private, therapist-led intensives listed on comparison sites run from about $3,000 to $12,000 for two to five days. There is no payment to apply; the plans are set up on your application call.
How is an intensive different from marriage counseling?
Counseling is an hour a week of talking about the marriage, usually with both spouses willing. An intensive is days of working on it, in order, with tools you use the week you get home. It is built for the cases where an hour a week has not moved anything.
Is it therapy?
No. The workshop is teaching, not therapy, and it is intentionally not a counseling session. You learn what is happening in your marriage and what to do about it, from people who work with marriages in crisis every week. Where there is active physical abuse, we refer to specialists.
What if my spouse will not come?
You can attend solo. The Solo Workshop runs live online, and many spouses come alone to the Couples Workshop too. The teaching covers what you can do whether your spouse is in the room or not.
How long is it, and where?
Three full days, in person in Spring Hill, TN or live online. Both formats cover the same three days.
Does it work?
70% of couples who complete our Couples Workshop avoid divorce. Our graduates rate us 4.6 out of 5, and many come in with a spouse who has already filed, an affair still going, or years of counseling behind them.