Intensive EFT Couples Therapy
What is an EFT couples therapy intensive?
An EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) couples intensive is a pathway in which, instead of the usual sessions every 15 days, you dedicate several days or extended appointments to taking care of your bond in a continuous, protected way. It is based on Emotionally Focused Therapy, an attachment‑based, research‑supported approach that helps couples recognise their relational blocks and transform distance and conflict into a bond that is more secure, warm, and full of life.
Who is it for?
The intensive is particularly suitable for:
• Couples in a long‑distance relationship who want a deep, focused space to reconnect and strengthen their bond.
• Couples for whom work commitments, shift work, or frequent travel make it difficult to maintain a biweekly schedule.
• Partners who feel stuck in patterns of distance, misunderstanding, or conflict and want to dedicate an intense, protected time to their relationship.
• Couples who are uncertain about the future of their relationship and want a structured, time‑limited process to understand whether and how they can move closer again.
Why choose an intensive instead of "regular" therapy?
In an intensive, you carve out time devoted exclusively to your relationship, as far as possible away from the demands and interruptions of everyday life. This focused work allows you to go much deeper than is possible in a single sixty‑minute session and often corresponds to several months of biweekly therapy.
It is a format that is particularly suitable for couples who live in different cities or countries, are in a long‑distance relationship, or have demanding work schedules that make it difficult to organise and maintain regular sessions.
Precisely because we concentrate many hours of work into a limited period, the intensive also requires a significant financial investment within a single time frame. For this reason, it is not the most suitable option for those who, at this moment, cannot afford this type of expense and might find a process spread out over time more manageable.
How is the intensive structured?
You can choose between two formats:
• 6 sessions of 4 hours each.
The work is spread out over time, with sessions that are long enough to go in depth into your emotions and your interactional cycle.
• 3 days of 8 hours each.
Each day is generally divided into:
o 4 hours in the morning
o 4 hours in the afternoon (after the lunch break)
In both formats, the work follows a rhythm that alternates different moments, designed to help you stay present without feeling overwhelmed. There will be conversations together as a couple, as well as brief individual spaces when it is helpful to pause and focus on what is happening inside each of you. We will use guided EFT interventions, centred on your emotional bond and on the way your negative cycle takes shape between you, and we will include breaks and integration times so that the intensity of the work remains sustainable and respectful for both partners.
In the initial consultation, we will explore your situation and, based on what emerges, we will choose together the format that best fits your life and your relationship.
Where does the intensive take place?
You can choose the option that best fits your situation.
• Online via Zoom
For couples who live in different cities or countries, it is possible to organise the intensive online, but only if you are physically together in the same space during the sessions. I do not work with partners connected from different locations, because in this format it is important to be able to work on your connection also through physical presence.
• In person in Monzambano (MN), Northern Italy
If you prefer meeting face to face, the intensive can take place in Monzambano, a small town in the province of Mantua, in Northern Italy. You can combine it with a short stay in the area, using the time between sessions to rest, integrate the work, and devote yourselves to your bond away from everyday pressures.
What happens in an intensive?
Each intensive is tailored to you, your story, and what you truly need, but it usually includes:
1.Initial session and assessment
I will listen to what brings you here, your couple’s story, what each of you longs for, and the resources you already have. To deepen this understanding, I will also dedicate one individual session to each of you, so I can get to know more closely your emotional baggage and the family legacy you carry into the relationship.
2. Understanding your cycle
Together we will look more clearly at how your usual interaction gets triggered: what one of you does when feeling alone or alarmed (for example, pushing, protesting, raising their voice) and how the other responds (shutting down, tensing up, taking distance). As this pattern becomes more recognisable for both of you, it becomes easier to see that the real “common enemy” is the cycle between you, not each other.
3. Slowing down and working with emotions
We will work to go beneath the surface of anger, criticism, silence, or withdrawal, until we meet more delicate emotions, such as the fear of not mattering, sadness, or the need to feel sought after and important to the other. In my guidance I will help you give voice to these parts in a clearer, more emotionally engaged way, so that they can become moments of mutual closeness and relief.
4. Creating new bonding moments
As emotional safety grows, I will support you in new kinds of conversations, where you can ask for what you need, respond to the other’s vulnerability, and experience yourselves as more available, engaged, and responsive.
5.Integrating and planning next steps
At the end, we will take time to look together at what has changed, what is still fragile and needs care, and which concrete steps you can take with you to continue protecting and nurturing your relationship. If useful, we will also consider possible follow‑up sessions with me or with a colleague closer to where you live.
What can we expect?
Every couple who begins a therapeutic journey brings intimate hopes that give meaning and strength to their commitment to the process. I will take care of these hopes so they become the shared direction of our work. Over time, other couples like you have described experiencing:
- A stronger sense of being seen, heard, and understood by their partner.
- A greater ability to talk about sensitive topics without shutting down or attacking.
- Fewer repetitive conflicts, or an improved capacity to reconnect after a clash.
- More closeness, tenderness, and emotional and physical intimacy.
What cannot be fully resolved in just a few days or sessions is named clearly, and you leave the intensive with a shared direction and concrete steps to continue taking care of your bond.
Availability
Because this is intense and highly personalised work, I offer this pathway only to a limited number of couples each year.
At the moment, I can welcome up to 5 couples per year into the EFT intensive couples therapy programme.
This limit allows me to remain truly present in your process before, during, and after the intensive, and to protect the emotional and practical space needed to work in depth with each couple.
Answers to common questions
Yes. The intensive is particularly suitable for couples who live separately or at a distance and cannot realistically commit to therapy every 15 days.
You can set aside a few days to come together and work in a concentrated way on your relationship.
No. Intensives can support couples in serious crisis and also those who want to deepen their connection, understand their patterns better, or address specific blocks without entering long‑term therapy.
No. In EFT we do not look for who is “at fault”.
We focus on the negative interactional cycle that takes over between you and on the softer emotions and needs that often stay hidden underneath your reactions.
The goal is to increase safety, understanding, and connection for both partners.
An intensive is a powerful accelerator, not a magic solution.
It can help you take important steps, have new emotional experiences together, and gain clarity about your bond, but some themes may need ongoing care.
At the end, we name clearly what has shifted, what still needs attention, and what possible next steps you can take.
How to request information
If you are interested, or simply want to better understand whether this intensive could be a good fit for you, you can contact me for more information.
In your message, you can briefly indicate:
• Whether you are currently living together or in different cities/countries
• Whether you are interested in the online intensive or the in‑person option in Monzambano (MN), in Northern Italy
• Which structure you consider more suitable (6 sessions of 4 hours or 3 days of 8 hours)
• A few lines about what is leading you to seek help at this time
I will reply indicating:
• My current availability
• Practical details (dates, fees, languages available)
• The next steps to schedule a brief initial consultation and explore together whether this format is right for you
You can contact me at:
elenidrakaki.epsy@gmail.com
Please remember:
Like any psychotherapy process, an EFT couples intensive cannot guarantee specific outcomes or the complete resolution of all difficulties. It offers a structured process and a safe, guided space, but the result depends on many factors, including your history, your life context, and your level of engagement in the work.
Certifications
