Cathy Cosentino
New for 2024:
Mind, Body and Soul Mate Wellness and Relationship Retreat.
How does Yoga, surfing, paddle boarding, fishing, carriage rides, theater, restaurants, sunsets and sunrises promote health and happy relationships?
Find out this September 2024 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Specific dates can be tailored to your needs.
For additional information:
[email protected]
201 485 9558 (Please text)
Couples Marriage Relationship Retreat Wilmington NC
Having worked with individuals and couples it has become clear that exercise fosters healthy and happy relationships. I see it in my practice and research supports it!
This retreat is a holistic approach to mind and body, especially in how it pertains to relationships. We focus on moving the body and connecting positively with your partner through learning new skills and tools while having fun.
This is an opportunity for couples to fully immerse in their relationship. Using the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy the couple will address all areas of their “sound relationship house”. In other words, a complete assessment of the relationship will be performed. The couple will recognize their strengths as well as areas upon which to focus their attention. During this time, couples will engage in intensive sessions lasting up to four or five hours. At the end of the retreat, couples should be in a better and more stable position to maintain and build healthier patterns of interactions. The retreat is limited to a small number of people, sometimes as few as one couple, in order to get intensive one to one time specific to your situation. The time with the therapist will focus on the needs of your relationship while also learning and practicing what is needed in all healthy relationships. You will leave with a workbook that will remind you of all you learned and allow you to continue to practice. Intermingled with the couple's work are lots of opportunities for the couple to engage playfully with each other. Couples are not forced to engage in activities, they are invited. Prior to the retreat, the Couple will be contacted and together with the therapist, activities the couple wishes to engage in will be reserved for that couple.
When couples first meet, they spend time seeing the other person, hearing what their partner has to say and empathizing or acknowledging their partners feelings and beliefs. We are vulnerable and open with the other inviting intimacy and emotional connection to flourish.
We call our retreats a “mini moon” or “post moon” because we are seeking to return to the time where we truly saw and heard our partner- the honeymoon stage. We seek to help couples create and maintain a healthy, loving and lasting connection-whether the couple is dating, about to marry or has been married for years and years!
A couple that plays together, stays together…with a little help.
By fostering healthy and safe communication, building and maintaining a friendship, learning how to turn toward your partner and how to accept your partner’s attempt to connect, maintaining and building intimacy, letting go and forgiving, learning to work on the relationship and not taking each other for granted, prioritizing the relationship, resolving conflict in ways that allow each to feel heard and understood and providing the skills to do these things are what make this retreat not only fun and invigorating, but lasting.
Our retreat offers opportunities to learn how to build, enhance, repair and maintain your relationship through group conversation-this retreat is intimate and private, no more than four couples are in attendance. No one is expected to share their stories-that remains between you and your partner. However, each couple will get private counseling sessions, a couples folder and book authored by Marriage and Family therapist, Cathy Cosentino.
Together, you and your partner will decide how to spend your day. We offer a variety of experiences in addition to daily meditation and yoga.
What does this retreat include?
Lodging at the Taylor House Inn, a Wilmington film location, used for several movies including, “The Wedding”.
The Taylor house is an elegant location in historic Wilmington, NC, featuring high ceilings, private bedrooms, ample private dining space, comfortable and safe meeting space for group and individual sessions. The pictures do not do it justice, truly a sight to be seen!
THE COUPLES RELATIONSHIP RETREAT INCLUDES:
private room
breakfast
lunch
snacks
wine and cheese upon arrival.
Yoga at sunrise
Meditation at sunrise
Sunrise beach walk
Couples’ assessment-provided at registration, to be completed before the retreat.
Individual Counseling
Group lectures
OPTIONS AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
Surfing-with or without lessons
Paddle boarding-with or without lessons
Kayaking
Fishing
Carriage rides
Fine dining
Breweries
Cocktail bars
Beach walks
Walks along the cape fear river
Theater
Each couple, prior to arriving, will receive an assessment. The results of the couples’ assessment will be reviewed and discussed privately with the couple. Here, areas that need strengthening will be addressed along with the skills and tools needed to be successful. Goals will be created and the pathway to achieve those goals will be set forth. The couple will have, over the course of five days have at least two one hour private sessions with a licensed Marriage and Family therapist. In conjunction with individual therapy, there will be group lectures which will help each couple learn the skills needed to improve, enhance and repair their relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the cost of the retreat? For couples attending 5 days/4 nights $3000 per person, Includes activities, breakfast, lunch and lodging. Shorter retreats can be arranged for a lower fee.
There will be group lessons and private couples counseling with Cathy Cosentino, LMFT. The number of individual counseling hours is dependent upon the number of couples. However, there is a guaranteed minimum of six private counseling hours. Approximately 15 hours of couples instruction and guidance to aid each couple achieve their goals and maintain or create a healthy relationship. Again, the number of individual and group hours may vary depending upon the number of participants. For example, if two couples book and each prefers individual hours, then the number of individual hours can increase and group hours decrease. This is YOUR retreat, I am flexible and will work to suit your needs.
Why is Yoga/Meditation/Beach walks included in a “couples retreat”? We view the relationship from a holistic point of view. When the body feels good, the mind follows. How often does exercise clear negative thoughts? Studies have shown that life satisfaction and happiness was significantly related to physical activity. Further, Exercise of physical activity makes people feel good or happy. The type of activity was not as important as the amount of activity. These results are believed to be beneficial because exercise changed psychological variables such as decreasing anxiety, depression and increasing self efficacy, view of oneself and mental health. Additionally, exercise also improves one’s physical health, including cardiovascular status, strength, and functional capacity.1
Also, couples who exercise together have created another way to connect with each other.
While in Wilmington, couples may engage in morning meditation and/or yoga. Yoga will be for all levels from beginner to advanced. Information about each couples’ level of experience will be noted and class will be tailored to fit the needs of the group. Weather permitting, yoga will be on the beach at sunrise. Afterwards, couples will be invited to walk the beach or return for a home cooked and healthy breakfast. In lieu of yoga, a couple may choose to walk the beach and enjoy the beauty and sounds of the ocean.
We strive to build positive memories. Our retreat aims to help partners enjoy each other’s company through knowledge, health and fun. We hope to see couples laughing together and experiencing things together as a couple, building dreams that last forever. To ensure couples have the opportunity to enjoy each other, they will be invited to engage in activities that they can sign up for at an additional cost. Transportation to and from the beach, and other locations is available and free.
footnotes
1. An HYm Chen W, Wang CW, Yang HF, Huang WT, Fan SY. The RElationships between Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction and Happiness among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jul 4; 17(13): 4817. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134817
This retreat is a holistic approach to mind and body, especially in how it pertains to relationships. We focus on moving the body and connecting positively with your partner through learning new skills and tools while having fun.
This is an opportunity for couples to fully immerse in their relationship. Using the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy the couple will address all areas of their “sound relationship house”. In other words, a complete assessment of the relationship will be performed. The couple will recognize their strengths as well as areas upon which to focus their attention. During this time, couples will engage in intensive sessions lasting up to four or five hours. At the end of the retreat, couples should be in a better and more stable position to maintain and build healthier patterns of interactions. The retreat is limited to a small number of people, sometimes as few as one couple, in order to get intensive one to one time specific to your situation. The time with the therapist will focus on the needs of your relationship while also learning and practicing what is needed in all healthy relationships. You will leave with a workbook that will remind you of all you learned and allow you to continue to practice. Intermingled with the couple's work are lots of opportunities for the couple to engage playfully with each other. Couples are not forced to engage in activities, they are invited. Prior to the retreat, the Couple will be contacted and together with the therapist, activities the couple wishes to engage in will be reserved for that couple.
When couples first meet, they spend time seeing the other person, hearing what their partner has to say and empathizing or acknowledging their partners feelings and beliefs. We are vulnerable and open with the other inviting intimacy and emotional connection to flourish.
We call our retreats a “mini moon” or “post moon” because we are seeking to return to the time where we truly saw and heard our partner- the honeymoon stage. We seek to help couples create and maintain a healthy, loving and lasting connection-whether the couple is dating, about to marry or has been married for years and years!
A couple that plays together, stays together…with a little help.
By fostering healthy and safe communication, building and maintaining a friendship, learning how to turn toward your partner and how to accept your partner’s attempt to connect, maintaining and building intimacy, letting go and forgiving, learning to work on the relationship and not taking each other for granted, prioritizing the relationship, resolving conflict in ways that allow each to feel heard and understood and providing the skills to do these things are what make this retreat not only fun and invigorating, but lasting.
Our retreat offers opportunities to learn how to build, enhance, repair and maintain your relationship through group conversation-this retreat is intimate and private, no more than four couples are in attendance. No one is expected to share their stories-that remains between you and your partner. However, each couple will get private counseling sessions, a couples folder and book authored by Marriage and Family therapist, Cathy Cosentino.
Together, you and your partner will decide how to spend your day. We offer a variety of experiences in addition to daily meditation and yoga.
What does this retreat include?
Lodging at the Taylor House Inn, a Wilmington film location, used for several movies including, “The Wedding”.
The Taylor house is an elegant location in historic Wilmington, NC, featuring high ceilings, private bedrooms, ample private dining space, comfortable and safe meeting space for group and individual sessions. The pictures do not do it justice, truly a sight to be seen!
THE COUPLES RELATIONSHIP RETREAT INCLUDES:
private room
breakfast
lunch
snacks
wine and cheese upon arrival.
Yoga at sunrise
Meditation at sunrise
Sunrise beach walk
Couples’ assessment-provided at registration, to be completed before the retreat.
Individual Counseling
Group lectures
OPTIONS AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
Surfing-with or without lessons
Paddle boarding-with or without lessons
Kayaking
Fishing
Carriage rides
Fine dining
Breweries
Cocktail bars
Beach walks
Walks along the cape fear river
Theater
Each couple, prior to arriving, will receive an assessment. The results of the couples’ assessment will be reviewed and discussed privately with the couple. Here, areas that need strengthening will be addressed along with the skills and tools needed to be successful. Goals will be created and the pathway to achieve those goals will be set forth. The couple will have, over the course of five days have at least two one hour private sessions with a licensed Marriage and Family therapist. In conjunction with individual therapy, there will be group lectures which will help each couple learn the skills needed to improve, enhance and repair their relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the cost of the retreat? For couples attending 5 days/4 nights $3000 per person, Includes activities, breakfast, lunch and lodging. Shorter retreats can be arranged for a lower fee.
There will be group lessons and private couples counseling with Cathy Cosentino, LMFT. The number of individual counseling hours is dependent upon the number of couples. However, there is a guaranteed minimum of six private counseling hours. Approximately 15 hours of couples instruction and guidance to aid each couple achieve their goals and maintain or create a healthy relationship. Again, the number of individual and group hours may vary depending upon the number of participants. For example, if two couples book and each prefers individual hours, then the number of individual hours can increase and group hours decrease. This is YOUR retreat, I am flexible and will work to suit your needs.
Why is Yoga/Meditation/Beach walks included in a “couples retreat”? We view the relationship from a holistic point of view. When the body feels good, the mind follows. How often does exercise clear negative thoughts? Studies have shown that life satisfaction and happiness was significantly related to physical activity. Further, Exercise of physical activity makes people feel good or happy. The type of activity was not as important as the amount of activity. These results are believed to be beneficial because exercise changed psychological variables such as decreasing anxiety, depression and increasing self efficacy, view of oneself and mental health. Additionally, exercise also improves one’s physical health, including cardiovascular status, strength, and functional capacity.1
Also, couples who exercise together have created another way to connect with each other.
While in Wilmington, couples may engage in morning meditation and/or yoga. Yoga will be for all levels from beginner to advanced. Information about each couples’ level of experience will be noted and class will be tailored to fit the needs of the group. Weather permitting, yoga will be on the beach at sunrise. Afterwards, couples will be invited to walk the beach or return for a home cooked and healthy breakfast. In lieu of yoga, a couple may choose to walk the beach and enjoy the beauty and sounds of the ocean.
We strive to build positive memories. Our retreat aims to help partners enjoy each other’s company through knowledge, health and fun. We hope to see couples laughing together and experiencing things together as a couple, building dreams that last forever. To ensure couples have the opportunity to enjoy each other, they will be invited to engage in activities that they can sign up for at an additional cost. Transportation to and from the beach, and other locations is available and free.
footnotes
1. An HYm Chen W, Wang CW, Yang HF, Huang WT, Fan SY. The RElationships between Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction and Happiness among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jul 4; 17(13): 4817. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134817
Cathy Cosentino, Esq., LMFT
|
|