A Marriage Intensive Experience
An FAQ Exploration of Hope Restored
What is Hope Restored: A Marriage Intensive Experience?
Focus on the Family’s Hope Restored intensives offer marriage counseling for couples who are facing a crisis in their marriage, and who may even feel they are headed for divorce. Hope Restored Intensives are all-inclusive, extended periods of counseling over multiple days that allow our team of marriage counselors to get to the root of the problem. The Focus Marital Therapy™ method is grounded in biblical principles that inform Focus on the Family’s understanding of God’s design for marriage as a sacred, lifelong covenant between a man and a woman. Hope Restored counseling tools and aftercare coaching were created to help couples who align with His intention for marriage and family.
A Hope Restored Intensive includes:
20-32 hours of counseling over 3-5 days (100% satisfaction rate with our leaders)
3-5 nights of lodging (99% satisfaction rate with our accommodations)
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day (99% satisfaction rate with our handcrafted meals)
15 weeks of aftercare, including follow-up coaching calls (80% of couples are married and significantly happier 2 years later)
*Survey results and stats updated every 6 months from all couples who attend.
What are the differences between the 3, 4, and 5 Day Intensive programs?
The 4-Day Group Intensive structure has proven to be the most powerful format for helping couples move past the barriers that keep them from experiencing the marriage of their dreams. While it’s common initially for many couples to be reluctant to discuss their relationship in front of others, our participants repeatedly offer high praise for the group format on post-Intensive surveys.
The 4-day format includes:
- Approximately 32 hours of marriage counseling with our team of counselors.
- A safe and supportive environment with a maximum of five couples and two marriage counselors.
- 4 days and 5 nights in luxury accommodations with all meals served on location.
- A participant manual and other follow-up services with a Hope Restored coach.
- The 5-Day Couple’s Intensive is our premier intensive experience, providing the highly focused care of any Hope Restored Intensive. While all our individual programs are tailored to couples’ specific needs, this longer format allows for more flexibility as you determine, with the counselors, the direction of each day’s sessions.
The 5-day format includes:
- Approximately 32 hours of marriage counseling with a guaranteed male/female team.
- A safe, supportive, and private environment.
- 5 days and 5 nights in luxury accommodations with all meals served on location.
- A participant manual and other follow-up services with a Hope Restored coach.
The 3-Day Couple’s Intensive utilizes the same powerful principles as the 4-Day Group Intensive, yet is perfectly designed to provide additional privacy during marriage counseling, enhanced individual care, and greater scheduling flexibility.
The 3-day format includes:
- Approximately 20 hours of exclusive marriage counseling with one or two Hope Restored counselors.
- 3 days and 3 nights in luxury accommodations with all meals served on location.
- A participant manual and other follow-up services with a Hope Restored coach.
Call us at 1-866-875-2915 to learn more about our intensive programs.
How is a Hope Restored: Marriage Intensive Experience different from weekly marriage counseling?
Get to Root Issues: Traditional counseling can be very effective and beneficial; however, progress is often very slow and frustrating when the issues feel overwhelming. The Intensive format was designed to allow individuals to get to the root of their issues quickly, with ample time to focus on resolution and growth. The extended amount of time spent within the Intensive setting gives couples the opportunity to go deeper without many of the distractions of daily life, and time to stay long enough to consider the solutions available to them.
Efficiency: One of the first steps in the Intensive process is an extensive assessment and questionnaire prior to your arrival. This allows the counselor to gather background information and get an idea of the best way to proceed before you arrive for your session. You will receive up to a year’s worth of counseling in 3-5 days, which allows you to make progress in a shorter amount of time than with weekly counseling.
Our Counselors: Our counselors are specialists in the area of marriage counseling. One analogy we like to use is that of the Mayo Clinic people go to their regular physician, but they may also be referred to a specialist for help in specific areas. Hope Restored marriage therapists have been trained in the Intensive counseling format to maximize its effectiveness. In addition, several of the Intensive programs provide the perspectives and insights of two professionals, rather than just one.
What if I am already divorced and seeking restoration?
We do offer private intensives for couples who are seeking reconciliation after divorce. For further information, we encourage you to Call Us and speak with a Hope Restored representative.
What if my spouse is not open to attending an Intensive program?
Just like a physical doctor can’t call his patients and say, “I think you have a cold — please come in for an appointment”, our ethics don’t allow us to pursue your spouse on your behalf. We have a few recommendations to begin the conversation with your spouse:
- Present this as something you’ve come across that you are interested in trying. Ask if he or she would be willing to watch one of our testimony videos with you.
- Don’t use high pressure. Allow them the safety of coming to the decision in their own time.
- Your spouse may feel better to hear that we are not interested in forcing or guilting anyone to stay in their marriage. We create a safe and healing environment for the individual first, and then the couple. It may help your spouse to see this as an opportunity to find healing for their own heart.
- You are welcome to give your spouse our number (866-805-7656) so they have their own questions answered safely and confidentially.
- Download our ‘How to Talk to Your Spouse About an Intensive‘ sheet for ideas and tips on how to approach the subject of an intensive program.
Additionally, in the Intensive programs we emphasize the importance of “self-care.” If your spouse is unwilling to attend an Intensive, we still want to help your heart walk this journey in a healthy way. While the majority of our programs are designed for couples in crisis, we do have a program that is designed to help individuals get to a healthy place personally and be an encouragement toward positive change relationally. Call us for personalized information on our 3-Day Spouse’s Intensive.
What if my spouse and/or I do not feel comfortable in a group marriage counseling setting?
We hear this concern quite often. For many, it sounds intimidating to think of sharing in a group setting. Many couples arrive dreading the group marriage counseling format, and yet our group format has a 99% satisfaction rate! The group setting does not use a cookie-cutter format, and is very customized and practical.
Benefits of a group intensive:
- Many people think their issues are uniquely weird or bad. When you see others dealing with similar issues, there’s a big relief to move from thinking “We’re terrible!” to “We’re not terrible, we’re just struggling!”
- Private counseling only allows you to bring up issues you are aware of. We often see people in the group setting witness things in other couples that they realize are true of them, too. Without the group, they may have never known the issue existed in them or their marriage.
- Many who struggle with affairs, pornography, or childhood abuse have found it very therapeutic to discuss their battles with others in the group under the leadership of a counselor. Processing through private struggles with other caring persons and a caring counselor helps the person not feel so isolated and alone in their struggles.
- It’s common to feel emotionally overwhelmed when in the “hot seat” of therapy. This can hamper your brain from remembering and applying the principles of the session. Group work gives your brain some “rests” to learn, grow, and heal in a less emotionally charged way. We often hear from people that some of their biggest insights come from what they see happen in the other couples.
Our trained consultants are just a call away to answer your questions about the group setting.
Are there cases when you would NOT recommend that a couple take part in a Hope Restored Intensive?
There are three circumstances when we may suggest that a couple seek an alternative route:
- Current substance addiction: The individual would need to complete, or be actively involved in, a rehabilitation program before participating in a Hope Restored Intensive. To have a fair chance of being effective, individuals need to be attentive throughout the Intensive without chemical influence or impairment.
- Current physical or emotional affair: The program’s effectiveness depends on two individuals who are focusing on their marriage. The affair must be cut off, and both partners need to focus and commit to the present relationship prior to registering for an Intensive. Even if you are unsure about the future, there needs to be at least a temporary commitment to focusing on this opportunity with an open heart.
- Case of domestic abuse or violence: We would need to do additional screening to determine if our programs would be the best fit for you.
What if my spouse and/or I do not feel comfortable staying in the same room together?
We realize that rooming arrangements might be a concern for some couples because they are currently separated or they simply don’t feel comfortable staying in the same room together. We are committed to making sure each couple’s stay is as safe and comfortable as possible. If additional rooms are needed, our team is happy to provide you with the needed information to make these arrangements (the additional room cost will be the couple’s responsibility).
Will my insurance cover all or a part of the cost for the Hope Restored Intensive?
Focus on the Family recommends that all clients contact their insurance company or human resources department prior to coming to an Intensive to clarify what benefits may apply. When requested by the client, we will provide a detailed receipt with a diagnosis and CPT code for your insurance purposes. This receipt will show the marriage counselor and clinic information, EIN, License number and the amount the client has paid. However, Focus on the Family currently does not submit to insurance companies on behalf of participants of Hope Restored Intensives.
What airport should I use when traveling to an Intensive?
For Intensives in Branson, we recommend:
- Springfield-Branson Regional (1 hour drive)
- North Arkansas Regional airport (2.5 hour drive)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma; Kansas City, MO; St. Louis, MO (all about 3.5-4 hour drive)
Michigan:
For Intensives in Greenville, we recommend:
- Grand Rapids Airport (45 minute drive)
- Detroit Airport (2.5 hour drive)
- Chicago O’Hare Airport (4 hour drive)
Georgia:
For Intensives in Rome, we recommend:
- Atlanta airports (1.5 hour drive)
- Chattanooga airports (1.5 hour drive)
Texas:
For Intensives in Wimberley, we recommend:
- San Antonio International Airport (1 hour drive)
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (1.5 hour drive)
Arizona:
For Arizona Intensives, we recommend:
- Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (about an hour drive)
- Phoenix-Mesa Getaway Airport (1.5 hour drive)
What happens after the intensive?
A Hope Restored Marriage Intensive is a one-time service, but our goal is the long-term health of your marriage. With this in mind, we have several resources for our alumni:
- Participants are given a Hope Restored manual to work through to supplement the experience following the Intensive, along with a 15-week resource to be studied in the weeks following the Intensive.
- Each couple is assigned a coach to provide a minimum of two follow-up coaching calls.
- For couples who were working with a therapist in their area prior to attending a Hope Restored Intensive, our counselors can connect with those local therapists in order to update them on progress made during the Intensive. This is subject to the disclosure process.
- Alumni often return to the Focus on the Family Retreat Center in Missouri and Michigan for discounted “retreat weekends” to get away together for a refresher on specific topics.
- If further help is needed, couples are eligible to participate in a second Hope Restored Intensive at a 25% discount.
In a group intensive, are there any breakout sessions for individual couples with the counselors?
No. The 4-Day Group Intensive structure has proven to be the most powerful format for helping couples address the challenges they face. Because of the way these intensives are designed, breakout sessions for individual couples are not part of the process. If you feel private time with a counselor would be more beneficial, we encourage you to consider one of our Private Intensive options.
What does a typical day look like?
Below is the schedule for a 4-Day Couples Intensive. Private Intensives are structured similarly, with a 3 ½-hour session in the morning after breakfast, a 3 ½ hour session in the afternoon following lunch, and free time for couples to connect in the evenings after dinner.
Sunday
- Check in after 4:00 P.M.
- Dinner – 5:30 P.M.
Monday-Thursday
- Breakfast – 8:15 A.M.
- Session – 9:00 A.M.
- Lunch – 12:30 P.M.
- Session – 2:00 P.M.
- Dinner – 5:30 P.M.
Friday
- Breakfast – 8:15 A.M.
- Check out by 9:30 A.M.
Contact Us for More Information!
We know it can take courage to ask for help in your marriage. You can schedule a free 15-minute consult to understand more about the Hope Restored marriage intensives at a time that’s convenient for you, or send us a message and we will contact you to help answer any questions.
