Day One
- Identify what each partner wants to be different.
- Map the recurring cycle, triggers, and protective responses.
- Begin practicing different conversations and regulation strategies.
Chincoteague Couples Intensive
Two-Day Couples Intensives in Chincoteague
Private, trauma-informed couples therapy delivered over two consecutive days in a coastal setting, for partners who need room to slow down and work with the relationship pattern directly.
Find the Right Intensive for Us
Free 15-minute fit consultation to discuss virtual and in-person options, scheduling, travel, and location-specific questions.
Why This Location
A quieter coastal setting for focused relationship work.
Time away from ordinary routines can make it easier to protect attention for reflection, movement, regulation, and focused relationship work. The setting does not produce clinical outcomes. The therapy remains structured, private, and centered on the relationship.
Beachfront care is an optional premium in-person format. The fit consultation can also help determine whether a one-day or two-day virtual intensive makes more clinical sense.
A Clear Starting Point
For couples who need the pace to come down first.
Some couples do not need more advice. They need enough uninterrupted time to notice what happens before the argument takes over, what each person is protecting, and where repair keeps getting lost.
A Chincoteague couples intensive creates that room. The work is still direct and clinical, but the setting supports a slower pace for partners who are worn out by escalation, avoidance, or emotional distance.
Schedule Your Free ConsultationOptional In-Person Care
Clinical work in a private setting.
Sessions are held in a private office space or meeting room as needed. When suitable, the beach area may also be used as part of the intensive.
Therapy is not assumed to happen outdoors. When clinically appropriate, the coastal environment may support structured grounding, movement, reflection, or regulation practices.
A Representative, Individualized Format
What the two days can look like.
Clinical pacing is individualized to the relationship, safety, and what emerges in the work.
Day Two
- Continue deeper relationship work at a pace that fits the couple.
- Practice new responses and address trauma, trust, intimacy, or connection themes when appropriate.
- Consolidate what worked and create an integration and next-steps plan.
Format
Two private days with twelve hours of couples therapy.
Investment
The in-person beach program fee starts at $4,500.
Setting
Available in the Chincoteague and Assateague area.
Planning
Travel, meals, and lodging are separate. A private meeting room is included when needed.
Right Fit
What couples commonly bring to this setting.
- A relationship that has become tense, careful, or emotionally distant
- Conflict that rises quickly, then leaves one or both partners shut down
- A need for a more contained pace before deciding what comes next
The Process
How the intensive builds momentum without rushing you.
Consultation
You talk through the relationship, safety, travel needs, and whether a two-day format is appropriate before committing.
Focused work
The intensive names the cycle, explores the protective reactions beneath it, and gives both partners time to stay engaged.
Next steps
You leave with practical clarity about what to continue, practice, or seek after the intensive.
Practical Travel Information
Plan the travel around the clinical work.
Salisbury Regional Airport is a commercial airport option for travel to the Chincoteague area. Norfolk International Airport is another commercial option for the Eastern Shore.
You may choose your own lodging and transportation, and those costs are separate from the intensive fee. If you live more than one or two hours away, plan to arrive the day before, as intensives typically begin at 9 a.m. on the first day.
What Is Included and What Is Not
Clear clinical and travel boundaries.
The in-person clinical fee starts at $4,500 and includes preparation, two consecutive days reserved for one couple, twelve hours of clinical therapy, customized physical materials, structured regulation or reflection practices, post-intensive integration materials, and a private meeting room when needed.
Lodging, meals, and travel are separate. The intensive is structured around a clear focus and practical next steps, not a promise that every concern will be resolved in two days. Before the intensive ends, you practice the response you have built together and receive integration materials for carrying the work forward.
Practical Details
Travel and planning details.
The intensive is available in the Chincoteague and Assateague area for couples who are able to travel. The consultation is where you confirm fit, dates, and the private setting for your work.
Lodging, meals, and travel are not included in the program fee. A private meeting room is included when needed, while the remaining travel arrangements stay separate.
Clinical Background
Care with a clear clinical foundation.
- Chad Stiles, PhD, LMFT
- Licensed in Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia
- Trauma-informed, IFS-informed, and solution-focused couples care
- 20 years of military service before clinical practice
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions before you decide.
Why choose Chincoteague for a couples intensive?
The quieter coastal setting can support couples who need lower stimulation, more privacy, and two uninterrupted days to focus on the relationship.
Is this a retreat?
No. It is private clinical couples therapy. The setting supports regulation, but the work remains focused on the relationship patterns you came to address.
What happens during the intensive?
You work through the cycle that keeps taking over, including the triggers, protective reactions, and repair attempts that have stopped working.
Can we travel from outside Virginia?
You can ask about traveling for the format. The consultation confirms whether the timing and in-person option are appropriate for you.
What is included in the fee?
The program fee starts at $4,500 and includes twelve hours of clinical therapy, custom physical workbooks, and structured regulation practices.
What is separate from the fee?
Lodging, meals, and travel are arranged separately. A private meeting room is included when needed.
Who is not a fit?
Couples with active or recent violence, coercive control, intimidation, threats, or severe instability need a different level of support before couples work can be appropriate.
How do we begin?
Schedule a free consultation to discuss the relationship, safety, travel questions, and whether this is the right format.
Where does therapy take place?
Sessions are held in a private office space or meeting room as needed. When suitable, the beach area may also be used as part of the intensive.
Do we need to stay at a particular hotel?
No. You may choose the lodging that works best for you. Lodging is separate from the intensive fee and is your responsibility.
Is therapy conducted on the beach?
No. Therapy is not assumed to happen outdoors. When clinically appropriate, the coastal environment may support structured grounding, movement, reflection, or regulation practices.
Will we have breaks?
Yes. Pacing, breaks, grounding, regulation, and clinical judgment are part of the process. Breaks are used to help each partner settle and return to the work with more steadiness.
What should we do the evening between Day One and Day Two?
Plan something calming and restful, and save discussions about the day’s intensive work for the next session.
Can we stay additional days?
You may choose to spend additional time in the area. The intensive itself remains clinical work and can be emotionally demanding, so any extra time should be planned around the needs of the two-day process.
What happens if weather is poor?
If weather makes the beachfront unavailable, sessions continue in the private office space or meeting room. If travel is unsafe, the intensive may be rescheduled for a future date.
Should we turn this into a vacation?
You may choose to spend additional time in the area, but the intensive itself is private clinical couples therapy, not a vacation package. The work can be emotionally demanding, and the schedule is designed around the relationship work first.
Begin With Clarity
Find the Right Intensive for Us
Free 15-minute fit consultation to discuss virtual and in-person options, scheduling, travel, and location-specific questions.
Find the Right Intensive for Us