Christian Marriage Counseling Intensive
A Christian Marriage Counseling Intensive is a multiple-day retreat where couples can step away from the distractions of everyday life and focus on their marriage. At The Ravines, couples receive private, Christ-centered counseling and uninterrupted time to work through difficult and painful issues while seeking hope, healing and restoration.
For a couple who comes to The Ravines, they spend their time working with their counselor in an environment free from the normal distractions of everyday life. We offer a few different schedules, Thursday morning to Saturday afternoon and Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon. Couples have a total of 15 hours (five three-hour sessions) with their counselor. All sessions are one couple with one counselor. We do not offer group counseling.
The evenings are used for homework assignments and activities as directed by the counselor. A volunteer host couple stays at the facility and takes care of the needs of each couple. Meals, beverages, snacks are provided and each couple has their own private suite (bedroom, bath and private living room/counseling space). The Ravines can accommodate two client couples at any time and each couple will meet with their own private counselor.
Cost
Give us a call at (219) 864-5063 to find out more about the cost to attend. Our retreat includes 15 hours of professional Christian counseling (with your counselor as well as an intake counselor), all meals/snacks/beverages, accommodations and resources for the multiple-day retreat. If needed, we will provide transportation to and from the airport. Contact The Ravines for more details.
If the cost presents a hurdle, partial scholarships are available. If there is a financial need, please complete the financial scholarship form (go to Financial Scholarship). We can also offer a payment plan at no interest.
When a couple desires to attend the Ravines, we encourage them to go through the following steps for financial resources:
- Client Commitment: a couple prayerfully considers how they can personally pay for their Counseling Intensive. Many couples are able to cover the entire amount personally. Payment plans can also be considered for couples with approval of the Executive Director of the Ravines.
- Friends and Family Commitment: a couple needing help in covering their financial needs is encouraged to seek support from family and friends. Many couples have found this support to be more than just financial. Client couples are blessed by the prayer support they receive from their friends and family while they are attending The Ravines.
- Church Commitment: a couple is encouraged to seek support from their home church. As part of the application process, we ask our clients to obtain a reference from their pastor, elder or church leader. The Ravines will provide a financial support request form for a couple to present to their church. The Ravines has found that most churches are open to partnering with the couple to help bring healing and restoration to their marriage.
- Ravines Financial Assistance: Once a couple has completed steps 1-3 and has found there is still a financial need, a request can be made for financial/scholarship support. Contact us for further information.
A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your date. If a situation arises where the couple is unable to come on the prescribed date, this deposit is transferable as long as a minimum of 72-hour notice is given to The Ravines.
Should a couple cancel their session completely, a minimum 72-hour notice is required or the couple will be billed for 1/2 of the entire session.
At this time, the Ravines is unable to submit claims to insurance companies on behalf of our clients.
Scheduling Process
When a couple contacts The Ravines office and they go through an initial intake on the telephone, they will be directed to complete the online intake forms. At this point, a prospective date is determined based on availability.
Once the intake forms and deposit are received, a retreat date is confirmed for a couple to attend. The confidential information from the intake forms is given to our Clinical Director to help determine which staff counselor can best meet the needs of the couple.
We schedule Couples Counseling Intensives throughout the year. We can serve two couples at any given time, but each has their own space and their own counselor. We do not offer group counseling.
Theoretical Basis for Counseling
The Christian therapist’s faith should inform and impact any psychological theory, methodology, exercise, or experience. At the Ravines we have a network of deeply committed Christian therapists applying their faith to the practice of leadership counseling and consultation through a variety of methods including sound use of Scripture, prayer, and appropriate psychological methodologies. We seek to partner with the local or sending church when appropriate due to a belief that all in the body of Christ are important in the healing, growing, and restoration process. It is the Holy Spirit of God that brings about transformed lives. It is our goal to be a part of this process as we speak the truth in love in an environment of grace, informed by our faith in Christ and our understanding of men and women. The goal is to glorify God and redemption and reconciliation of marriage.
FAQ
Is The Ravines a Christian Ministry?
Yes. Our Mission Statement clearly states “The Ravines is a Christian ministry whose focus is the restoration, healing and strengthening of the marriages of Christian couples. We believe that the term ‘marriage’ has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25). We believe that marriages can be healed, whether in immediate crisis or in need of spiritual or emotional strengthening. It is our desire to see all Christian couples find renewal in their marriage through the power of Christ.”
Check out our Core Values, Statement of Faith, Theoretical Basis for Counseling, and Position Statements.
Can any couple be considered to attend the Ravines?
The Ravines is available to married couples, (one man and one woman as delineated in Scripture, Genesis 2:18-25). The Ravines is a place where couples will receive Christ-centered Intensive Counseling.
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