Welcome
to
Free & Connected

Private, Intensive Retreats for Couples

Do you wonder if your unhappy relationship is beyond help?

your-relationship

If you're struggling to stay in a relationship, on the brink of giving up, or feel stuck− you're in the perfect place to learn how a private couples retreat can make a big difference. Even if you wonder if you are beyond help, married the wrong person, or so confused you don't know what to do, marriage counseling can help. Sometimes you just need some guidance to get you back on track.

Nothing is worse than prolonged misery. It sinks into your bones and feels heavy and oppressive.

Do you feel criticized constantly by your partner?

Do you feel burdened and hopeless + forget who you really are and why you are together?

Do you feel angry, frustrated, and hopeless about your relationship?

Are you stuck in a bad place even though you’ve tried everything, even traditional couples counseling or couples therapy?

Want to talk today? Call or text 603-828-3649. Later? Contact us to set up a free consultation

Slide 1
We Help Couples
Couples Retreats

In our private couples retreats, we help couples in crisis that are on the doorstep of divorce or struggling with relationship-shattering issues like how to survive infidelity, blame-shame cycles, chronic anger, substance abuse, sex addiction, or emotional abuse. Our relationship counseling breaks down the causes of these issues and helps you find a better way to interact with each other.

Slide 2
We Help Couples
Resolve Long-Standing Disagreements

We work with couples in troubled relationships often characterized by destructive fighting or disconnection and withdrawal, anxiety and depression, deceit and dishonesty, sex drive differences, or lack of desire. We help couples resolve long-standing disagreements about money, parenting, or in-laws.

Slide 3
We Help Couples
Figure Out What’s Off

You don't need to be desperate for ways to save your marriage to work with us. In fact, the sooner you deal with your relationship challenges (and we all have them), the easier it is to get back on track. Research shows that couples wait an average of six years before seeking outside help when the relationship is already in crisis. Sometimes they wait until it is too late. Relationship counseling works best when you use it as soon as you notice something feels "off."

Slide 3
We Help Couples
40+ Years Of Clinical Experience

You won’t find cookie-cutter models, generic formulas, or preachy, do it our way lessons, new age clichés, or blaming. Instead, we’ll honor your unique desires, draw on our 40+ years of clinical experience, and show you the freedom to be yourself and be loved as you are. We help you find the approach that works best for you and your relationship.

previous arrow
next arrow

Our book, Relationship Transformation, gives you a trusty map for blazing your own trail to a satisfying relationship — on your own terms.

Think you have to give up freedom to have intimacy?  Fear you have to sacrifice deep connection to indulge self-realization?

Deep down, most of us want it all.  We want a satisfying relationship and individual freedom.  We’ve been taught we can’t have both — thankfully, that’s not true!

What makes our private couples counseling retreats unique?

In our couple-to-couple counseling retreat, we meet you where you are with our decades of experience, diverse backgrounds, a practical approach, and compassionate listening. We’ll crack the hidden dynamic that blocks your happiness and point you in the direction you want to go.

Direct, Balanced Support

You will work with us, a married couple with expertise. When you work with a couple (as opposed to one counselor) you bypass the three's a crowd, odd-person-out phenomenon that often leads to couples vying to garner favor with the therapist, a waste of your valuable time and energy.

Widening Your Perspective
Personalized Recommendations

What is the result of our exploration together?

Portrait of cheerful positive partners laughing enjoying weekend holiday together having fun sitting on sofa indoors. Married honeymoon lifestyle concept

Transformative. Couples who started out sitting on opposite ends of the couch, with arms and legs crossed, folded into themselves, gradually move closer and turn toward each other.  Hands clasp, a shoulder, a cheek is gently stroked. Couples look into each other’s eyes and see each other in a new light. We witness sweet relief cross and soften their faces and their bodies unfold as tension dissolves. Voices lose their harsh, angry edge, and then soften. We feel the change. It is palpable. Visceral. Couples lean-in to the beauty of their re-creation.

The Latest From Our Blog:

My Wife Won’t Talk To Me Anymore. What Should I Do?

Mary Ellen Goggin July 9, 2024

My Wife Won’t Talk To Me Anymore. What Should I Do?

If your wife won’t talk to you anymore, you are probably frustrated, confused, isolated, and lonely. It’s also likely you are wondering what exactly went wrong and how to fix it. When communication breaks

How to Forgive Infidelity – The First Time

Mary Ellen Goggin June 27, 2024

How to Forgive Infidelity – The First Time

Discovering your partner has cheated is gut-wrenching. The betrayal cuts deep and you begin to question whether anything about your relationship is or was real. You also wonder if your relationship is

10 Tips for Navigating a Sexless Marriage Separate Bedrooms Scenario

Mary Ellen Goggin June 14, 2024

10 Tips for Navigating a Sexless Marriage Separate Bedrooms Scenario

Living in a sexless marriage is lonely and confusing for most. If you are in this situation, you are likely feeling frustrated, isolated, and doubtful about your lovability. Despite all of the unpleasant

Can A Woman Cheat And Still Be In Love? Understanding The Emotional Complexity

Mary Ellen Goggin May 28, 2024

Can A Woman Cheat And Still Be In Love? Understanding The Emotional Complexity

Infidelity is a deeply painful and complex issue, stirring intense emotions and raising difficult questions. If you’re grappling with the life-changing question, "Can a woman cheat and still be in love?",

How To Talk To Your Spouse About Money Without Fighting: 5 Peaceful Strategies

Mary Ellen Goggin May 13, 2024

How To Talk To Your Spouse About Money Without Fighting: 5 Peaceful Strategies

Money discussions don’t have to lead to arguments. Imagine ending a conversation about finances feeling closer to your spouse instead of frustrated or misunderstood. Many couples, especially those balancing

Success Stories

Thank you both again and thank you Mary Ellen to your feminine sensitivity toward me. This is what I will always remember about you. You both are doing an important job of helping to keep marriages together and you are very much appreciated.

We had worked with several couples therapists (as well as individual ones). Our experience with you felt totally different and marvelously refreshing in that there was no time to ruminate endlessly on “the problems” but a need to get on with the solutions.

You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.
–Toni Morrison