Where clarity begins, and connection deepens..
Private couples therapy retreats in NYC
Bold work in the city’s quietest corner.
Why Couples Choose Our Approach
Since 2013
Most comprehensive available
Advanced Gottman-trained
Over 2.5 transformative days
Why Does Assessment Matter?
1. You Won’t Waste Your Expensive Intensive Repeating Your Story
Most couples spend their first intensive session explaining their history. Not here. Our 1,864-question assessment tells your story FOR you—so your therapist arrives knowing your patterns, your pain points, and what you’ve already tried.
2. Start Fixing From Minute One
The assessment reveals your communication cycles, conflict triggers, and hidden dynamics before you walk in the door. That means more time actually healing—not just explaining what’s broken. You paid for solutions, not storytelling.
3. Assessment Reveals What You CAN’T See
You know you’re stuck. But you can’t see WHY from inside the cycle. Our assessment reveals the invisible patterns: pursue-withdraw dynamics, the real needs underneath surface complaints, the bids for connection you’re both missing. When you can see the pattern, you can finally change it.
Ready to take the next step?
Begin your couples retreat inquiry today — we’ll walk you through every detail, with care.
“The intensive therapy centers around the BIG BIG Book. Put the time and effort into thoroughly completing this. It provides your therapist with the background so your time is spent discussing the core issues, not explaining your history.”
OUR RETREAT
When the Distance Feels Unbridgeable
Once, a glance was enough to warm the room.
You shared stories, laughter—even the quiet felt safe.
But something shifted.
Now, the silence feels like distance. Inches apart at the table, miles apart in meaning.
The connection that once felt effortless now feels out of reach.
Our Retreat
Couples Therapy in the Quiet Corner of Brooklyn.
Come to our DUMBO, Brooklyn office for a deeply personalized experience, led by a seasoned sex therapist and couples therapists Dr. Nancy Garcia-Ruffin.
Are you:
If you’re coping with untreated mental illness, active addiction, or domestic violence, those concerns deserve specialized care—and we’re happy to refer you to professionals who can help.
We are not a fit for every couple.
Healing takes courage. We work best with couples ready to show up with heart, honesty, and effort.
That’s what our NYC couples therapy retreats offer:
Time. Focus. Privacy.
A way to begin again—together.
These private retreats don’t just help you talk differently. They help you live differently—while you’re still in it.
You’ll explore the roots of conflict, rebuild trust, and live new patterns in real time. It’s immersive, powerful, and designed for couples who need change now—not someday.
Deeper healing. Less time. The support you’ve been waiting for.
“It wasn’t easy-but it was transformative.”
Why a Retreat?
Because real connection takes more than good intentions.
In a one-hour session, you might barely scratch the surface. Then it’s back to the kids, the inbox, the to-do list.
A retreat is different.
No rush. No distractions.
Just time to see each other clearly, speak truthfully, and begin again—with support.
Some silences are worth breaking.
More time = deeper work.
More focus = faster insight.
More privacy = fewer defenses.
This isn’t therapy as usual. It’s a reset.
One designed for couples who are ready to stop spiraling—and start rebuilding.
Meet Your NYC Couples Therapist
Dr. Nancy Garcia-Ruffin
Psychologist
Board-certified sex therapist and seasoned couples psychologist.
Warm. Direct. Evidence-based. Offers sessions in English and Spanish.
Nancy combines deep clinical experience with a personal understanding of what it takes to rebuild trust, repair love, and navigate complexity. She’s equally at ease with couples navigating systemic marginalization—and those managing the hidden emotional costs of achievement, stability, or outward success.
Dr. Garcia-Ruffin’s therapy office is nestled just under the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO—a neighborhood famous for its views, creative energy, and quiet nooks.
Learn more about Dr. Garcia-Ruffin →
The Unseen Cost of Relationship Distress
Living in a city that never stops doesn’t mean your relationship should feel constantly in motion, too. Behind the pace, the pressure, and the curated snapshots of city life, many couples are quietly unraveling.
Conflict shows up not just in the yelling—but in the silence.
The scrolling.
The sleeping back-to-back.
You may live side by side, yet feel worlds apart.
The truth? Relationship distress impacts your health, your work, your sleep, even your sense of self. And it rarely resolves on its own. That’s why we do something different.
“Relationships don’t collapse in a moment.
They fade in the spaces where we stop reaching.
That’s where our work begins.”— Dr. Kathy McMahon, Founder, Couples Therapy Inc.
Is an Intensive Retreat Right for You?
Maybe you’ve tried weekly therapy. Maybe you haven’t.
Either way, the patterns are back. Or never left.
In our Brooklyn intensives, we go beyond surface talk.
We help you identify what’s actually going on—and how to change it.
Expect honesty. Expect effort. Expect to leave with tools, insight, and clarity.
“Surviving isn’t the same as living. Let’s rebuild a love worth living for.”
After the Retreat
Your retreat may be over, but the shift doesn’t stop there.
We offer structured support to help you maintain the gains you’ve made:
We’re here for your growth.
We’re not just here for your crisis.
How is all of this done?
We don’t expect you to know. That’s our job.
That’s why we’ve designed a clear, guided process—human to human.
No guessing. No “pick from a list of strangers.”
Just a conversation that starts with listening—really listening—and leads to a therapist who truly fits.
We’ll walk you through what to expect, how we personalize the experience, and what it’s like to work with someone who actually gets it.
Whether you’re arriving with doubt, hope, or just a deep sense that something needs to change—this is your first real step.
Let’s Begin
Let’s stop circling the same arguments.
Let’s make this the moment it changed.