FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Do you offer virtual/online services?
Yes, we offer a variety of virtual/online services such as: individual therapy sessions, couples therapy sessions & intensives, as well as groups. We utilize a confidential telehealth platform for all services. Please reach out for more information!
Where do you these events take place?
Most intensives, workshops & groups take place in our Irvine office, however, on occasion & weather permitting, we do offer some out-of-office experiences in nature (which is always available upon request). Our retreats are held in various locations, & we do other speaking engagements for various institutions at their specified locations.
Do you take insurance?
We wish to dedicate our time & effort in meeting our clients’ relationship goals. For this reason & due to the complexities of managed care, with excessive paperwork & third party decision-makers, as well as confidentiality reasons, please understand that we do not take insurance for payment.
Do you offer payment plans for intensives/retreats?
We are not able to accept customized payment plans at this time, & require 50% of the fee due one week prior & 100% within 48 hours of scheduled intensive.
What is your cancellation policy?
Intensives must be cancelled prior to one week, otherwise 50% of fee is due; 100% of fee is due if cancelled within 48 hours. Weekly therapy sessions must be cancelled prior to 24 hours, otherwise 100% of fee is due. We reserve time blocks for you & are unable to fill these spaces within those time frames which is why we hold to this policy.
How can we utilize the follow-up sessions from the intensives if we are coming in from out of town?
Coaching follow-up sessions via video or phone are available if you are not local.
What can I expect from an intensive?
Our goal is to make you feel comfortable from our first interaction which happens one week prior to our face-to-face meeting. We like to think of it as an in-depth “double date” that will allow you to experience a breakthrough to the relationship you desire to have. Learn more here.
Do you offer traditional weekly couples counseling sessions?
Yes, we do offer traditional weekly couples counseling sessions separately. You can choose to either work with George or Chelsea when availability permits. We do have limited space for conjoint sessions with the both of us as well.
Are you available to speak at our next event?
Yes! We love to speak at events. Please inquire here.
Will both George & Chelsea be a part of our intensive/retreat/workshop/group?
Unless otherwise stated, George & Chelsea conduct all intensives, retreats, and workshops together as a couple. Groups vary and usually are facilitated by George & Chelsea individually on alternating weeks. In the event that illness or emergency inhibits one of us from participating, full price still applies & no refunds are given for that reason.
What are you trained in/what is your therapy style?
We are both master’s level clinicians trained in the Gottman Method Levels I & II, fully trained in EMDR therapy, and subscribe to the humanistic/existential psychological orientation. We develop our personalized treatment methods out of these core modalites along with attachment theory as inspired by the Yerkovich’s work in “How We Love.” Our signature intervention includes Satir’s method of “sculpting” to allow both partners to deepen their understanding of each others’ views of the relationship and current problems in an externalized manner transforming the abstractness of it all into a visual picture which is malleable. Many problems & issues that arise within the relationship stem from not having the ability to see from the other’s unique perspective.
What are the benefits of intensives?
Intensives can be extremely helpful because you essentially receive a couple of months worth of therapy in a single session. This not only saves you time (& usually even money in the long run), but the lack of weekly breaks allow us to get much further & to the root of the issues since we do not have the regular interruptions of traditional couples counseling.
Are intensives guaranteed to elicit the results we want?
As like any form of therapy, intensives are not guaranteed to produce the results you want & oftentimes, depending on how deeply rooted the problem is, can even make things worse initially. For this reason the follow-up sessions are in place &, depending on the situation, we may recommend an aftercare plan that consists of weekly therapy sessions for a time period, or another intensive therapy session. If this is your case, you would receive credit from both follow-up sessions to apply to weekly therapy sessions or another intensive.
Intensives/Retreats are not in my budget, do you have any other affordable options?
Yes! If you are unable to afford intensives or retreats, we offer psychoeducational workshops for couples, group therapy with other couples, & traditional weekly couples therapy as more affordable options!