A different structure
for couples work.
Concentrated. Focused. Effective.

What is an intensive and how is it different from weekly sessions?

An intensive concentrates the work into one or two dedicated days rather than spreading it across weekly 50-minute meetings. The extended format allows for deeper focus and continuity that's harder to achieve in shorter blocks.

What's the difference between Therapy and Programs?

Therapy intensives are clinical services for couples working through conflict, distance, or a breach of trust. Programs are educational — structured experiences for couples preparing for marriage or a baby, or wanting a clear picture of where they stand.

Plenty of couples aren't sure which one they need, and that's genuinely fine — it's not something you're expected to diagnose about yourselves. Book a consultation and we'll figure it out together.

Do sessions take place in person or virtually?

All intensives are held virtually, over secure video. That means you can do this from home, without travel or time off beyond the days themselves — and it's part of why evening and weekend scheduling is possible.

Do you work with LGBTQIA+ couples or non-traditional relationships?

Yes. Relationship Health Collective provides inclusive, affirming care for couples of all identities, orientations, and relationship structures.

How soon can we get started?

Reach out to discuss availability. Evening and weekend scheduling is available to accommodate most couples.

How is the Mini Intensive different from the Relationship Checkup?

They answer different questions. The Relationship Checkup tells you where you stand — what's working, what needs attention, and what to do about it. It's a broad look across your relationship.

The Mini Intensive is narrower and goes deeper. It's an IBCT assessment, which means the focus is on one thing: the cycle the two of you keep landing in. Where do the real differences between you sit, what is each of you especially sensitive to, what outside pressures are making it worse, and what happens when all of that collides. The result is a formulation — an explanation of why this particular pattern keeps running between these two particular people.

If you want a picture of the whole relationship, start with the Checkup. If there's one thing that keeps happening and you want to understand it, start here.

What approaches do you use?

Therapy intensives draw on Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) and Cognitive Behavioral Couple Therapy (CBCT). IBCT combines acceptance and change strategies to help couples understand the deeper patterns driving their conflicts. CBCT focuses on identifying and shifting the thoughts, behaviors, and communication patterns that maintain distress. Both are among the most rigorously researched approaches in the field.

Do you take insurance?

Therapy intensives aren't billable to insurance, and no superbill is provided.

What you pay covers your sessions, the preparation beforehand, your written feedback report, and follow-up.

Where can we be located?

Therapy intensives are clinical services, so they're available to couples located in the states where Dr. Lenger is licensed or PSYPACT-authorized. You can see the current list here.

Is a Program the same as therapy?

No. Programs are educational services grounded in relationship science. They are not psychotherapy, no diagnosis is made, no treatment is provided, and no clinician-patient relationship is formed.

If what surfaces during a Program suggests therapy would serve you better, Dr. Lenger will say so directly and help you figure out next steps.

What are Programs based on?

Programs draw on structured relationship assessment, research on communication and conflict, and the literature on how couples navigate major transitions — including the well-documented shifts that come with marriage and new parenthood.

Do you take insurance?

Programs aren't billable to insurance and no superbill is provided. Because they're educational rather than clinical, there's no diagnosis or procedure code to submit.

Do we need to be in crisis?

No — the opposite, usually. Most couples who choose a Program are doing fine and want to stay that way, or are heading into a transition and want to meet it well prepared.