Frequently Asked ICC Questions

Intensive Couples Counseling is a trademarked couples counseling service that was designed as an alternative to standard one-hour-per-week therapy. It was designed to help couples who may require more support than weekly hourly sessions can provide, or who have complicated schedules that make it difficult to commit to regular appointments. A typical ICC program is completed within just 15 hours, done in multiple sessions that last about 3-4 hours at a time, over the course of 2-3 weeks. This accelerated format lets couples really dive in deep to address their concerns and come up with solutions to create lasting, sustainable change.

Our ICC therapists have led hundreds of ICC programs over the last 20 years, so we know that every couple brings their own unique challenges and strengths to this program. However, most of our ICC couples have one or more of the following things in common:

• They need to heal from an affair or other relationship crisis.
• They are seriously considering divorce or separation, and are at a make-it or break-it point in their relationship.
• They have spent so long without intimacy and connection that they need a serious jump-start.
• They haven’t had good results with traditional couples counseling and need something more effective.
• They lead busy lives or have opposite schedules that make weekly appointments a nightmare to coordinate.

If any of these sound like they might describe your relationship, we seriously recommend considering ICC! And no matter the specifics of what you are dealing with, we have found that our most successful ICC couples are committed to the process and motivated to find a resolution to their struggles.

Full ICC programs cost $4,495 per couple, and 8-hour Mini programs cost $2,495 per couple.

ICC is not covered by insurance, since there is no medical diagnosis as part of the program, and there are no associated insurance billing codes. For this reason, it is also not considered “intensive outpatient therapy” – this refers to a specific kind of mental health treatment that we do not offer at our clinic. However, many of our couples are able to use HSA/FSA funds to help pay for services. We have also partnered with CareCredit, a health and wellness credit card that allows us to offer monthly financing for this program.

We don’t know of any other program that is comparable to ICC! Other retreat-style programs for couples are either:

• not administered by licensed therapists,
• are religiously based,
• are not private, and done with many other couples present,
• cost upwards of $6,000 per couple and may require additional travel or lodging expenses.

In contrast, your ICC is led by a professional therapist with many years of couples therapy experience, in a private office with just you and your partner present. Your time in your ICC sessions will be dedicated solely to you and your story, and your ICC therapist will tailor your program to meet your specific needs and goals.

Most ICC programs take place at one of our offices in St. Louis Park, MN or Eagan, MN. We also offer this service via Telehealth if traveling to the Twin Cities is difficult for you. Our ICC therapists offer as much flexibility in their schedules as possible, and will do their best to work with your scheduling needs. We don’t have a waitlist for this program, and many of our ICC couples are able to get started within a week of contacting us!

Our ICC team is made up of therapists who specialize in relationships in crisis. All of our ICC-Certified therapists have completed the following training/credentialing:

• Professional couples therapists with multiple years of experience under their belt
• Ongoing Gottman training, supervision, and consultation from our clinic owner, Jeb Sawyer, a Certified Gottman Therapist
• Extensive training in Pragmatic/Experiential Therapy
• Extensive training in Post Induction Therapy
• Extensive training in Feedback Informed Treatment

Furthermore, our ICC therapists are all individuals who want to make sure they are offering the most effective couples therapy possible, so all of them have additional training in other couples counseling or other mental health methodologies, including Emotion-Focused Therapy, experiential therapy, addiction treatment models, Brainspotting trauma therapy, and more!