Healing torn relationships in a beautiful non-clinical setting of your choice
Couples, families with growing children and adult children
Couples:
Our approach to couples therapy is attachment informed and focuses on strengthening emotional connections. This approach helps avoid the often negative and self-fulfilling impact of “problem focused therapies". Relational problems are approached in a manner that supports a shift towards a healing sense of connection and hopefulness. Through the use of careful listening, teaching concerning interpersonal neurobiology, support in moving towards emotional openness, shared activities & humor participants rediscover a sense of friendship and partnership essential to a loving relationships. Our approach is informed by research supported attachment-focused models such as Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Attachment Focused Family Therapy and Integrative Couples Therapy.
Issues such as recovery from infidelity, addiction, anger management, sexual compatibility, money management, lack of communication, parenting, values diversity and in-law relationships are typical concerns for couples coming into the retreat. Away from the culture in which these difficulties have evolved, couples often find previously inaccessible opportunities for new beginnings.
This model is an excellent avenue for couples with a treatment resistant partner or unsuccessful earlier attempts at therapy. The opportunity to combine the fun of a great vacation with the chance to heal old wounds is for many the balance that allows movement forward.
Couples:
Our approach to couples therapy is attachment informed and focuses on strengthening emotional connections. This approach helps avoid the often negative and self-fulfilling impact of “problem focused therapies". Relational problems are approached in a manner that supports a shift towards a healing sense of connection and hopefulness. Through the use of careful listening, teaching concerning interpersonal neurobiology, support in moving towards emotional openness, shared activities & humor participants rediscover a sense of friendship and partnership essential to a loving relationships. Our approach is informed by research supported attachment-focused models such as Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Attachment Focused Family Therapy and Integrative Couples Therapy.
Issues such as recovery from infidelity, addiction, anger management, sexual compatibility, money management, lack of communication, parenting, values diversity and in-law relationships are typical concerns for couples coming into the retreat. Away from the culture in which these difficulties have evolved, couples often find previously inaccessible opportunities for new beginnings.
This model is an excellent avenue for couples with a treatment resistant partner or unsuccessful earlier attempts at therapy. The opportunity to combine the fun of a great vacation with the chance to heal old wounds is for many the balance that allows movement forward.
Families:
This program and model is equally applicable to families with growing children as well as adult children.
The clinicians within this program have extensive experience in work with children and adolescents with a wide range of presentations and needs (i.e Autism, ADHD, Attachment Disorders, PTSD, OCD, etc). This background allows for family work to effectively draw children and adolescents into the sessions in a positive and supportive manner. Work with children within the sessions is guided by effort to reach them with playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy (PACE). Younger children are involved in Theraplay informed sessions with parents and adolescents are seen individually and in the context of dyad, sibling and full family sessions.
Areas of specialization for FTV is support to families dealing with loss/grieving, parenting of a child with special needs, post divorce stabilization and reintegration of a child from a residential treatment setting, or specialized school.
Our clinical team is open to collaboration with community based therapists with whom couples or individuals are currently working. If requested, Dr. Stewart will contact and collaborate with outside therapists both before and after the couples retreat.
When requested, a formal pediatric psychological/diagnostic assessment and report can be provided as part of this program.
(See separate page for families with children with special needs)
Clinical Model
Our clinical model is informed by the work of researchers and clinicians such as: Sue Johnson, Dan Hughes, Alan Schore, Dan Siegel, Bruce Perry, Michelle Garcia-Winer, Tony Attwood, DW Winnicott, Marsh Linehan, Virginia Satir, Salvador Minuchin and Louis Cozolino
Recent Program Reviews
"We went to the Maine coast for this experience and left with so much more than we had expected. We convinced our two adult daughters to give this a chance as a way to try to help make our family an easier place for all of us. Well, 5 days later and we figured out that it was not just the two of them that were struggling but all of us. The magic that John and Jan brought to this process had us laughing as much as crying - but things shifted and we are leaving with hope and a long missing sense of connection and appreciation for each other"
"We did this program in Italy with three adult kids and let me tell you it was hard to set up and anything but easy to go through, but doors opened. The model that these folks work in did not allow us to go down rabbit holes that typically find our way to. As a parent this was more than I could have asked for, our kids actually seem to have moved to liking each other and maybe even us. This feels like a wonderful new start now we go back to our homes and have to keep these doors open. I am really not sure how we got here be we are so thankful that they did."
“We came to this program as a family struggling with almost every part of what it is to be a family. Between my husband and myself and our two teenage children we found a real sense of reconnection. The work in therapy was sometimes difficult but we all felt safe and well understood and doors to understanding and forgiveness opened. The therapy sessions were actually kind of fun even though often very poignant."
“We have been in therapy on two prior occasions only to have the benefits last about as long as the therapy session. My husband would not attend another effort at therapy even though we were barely even talking, but agreed to this program because he thought of it as a vacation. What we found was so much more than we ever expected. Dr. Stewart and Jan were truly amazing in their ability to help us move beyond our petty struggles and to address and help heal the deep sense of sadness and isolation which we were both feeling. This experience really did give us a sense of a new beginning as well as one of the best vacations we have ever had.”
"Neither my husband and I, nor our kids with one another, or with us could be in the same room without tension. Somehow through this amazing experience in Nicaragua we have found that we actually like one another. What a remarkable week and gift this has been to our family. I am sure there are tough times ahead, but for the first time in a long time it feels hopeful. Thanks so much for this opportunity."
"This s a different way to do therapy, it is intense, yet non- threatening and almost fun, largely due to Dr. S’s sense of humor and the amazing offerings of this region. I have never felt so safe and comfortable while at the same time looking so deeply and honestly at our relationship and myself. We both left feeling ready to stop the old destructive dances and get on with being friends and for the first time in a while lovers.”
“I hate marriage therapy, I mean I really hate it, I’ve been in therapy with my wife forever and it usually just makes me feel worse – but somehow this wasn’t that bad and there is no question that my wife and I left the Nicaragua program in a much better place than when we arrived. It was 3 months ago that we were in Nicaragua and things remain good with us. Thanks”
“We really weren’t certain what we were getting ourselves into when we made a commitment to this program, but out of desperation and a sense that nothing else has worked and the fact that we were on the verge of splitting up after 25 years we said, what the hell. I cannot express my gratitude in having stumbled onto this opportunity. Dr. Stewart and Jan are a wonderful team bringing compassion, wisdom, humor and humanity to their work. I am not quit certain how they did it but they brought my wife and I to a very different place over this week.”