Marriage Intensives: A Path Toward Covenant Repair™
A Two-Day Catholic Marriage Intensive with Dan Jurek, M.Min., MA, LPC-S, LMFT
Lafayette, Louisiana | In-Person & Virtual | dan@paxrenewalcenter.com | 337-993-1960
Your marriage is worth the time it takes to find out.
Some seasons of a marriage are too painful, too urgent, and too layered for the slow rhythm of weekly therapy sessions. You’ve tried talking. You’ve tried praying. You’ve tried waiting it out. And yet here you are, hurting, disconnected, perhaps quietly wondering if it’s too late.
It isn’t.
The Covenant Repair Intensive™ is a structured, therapist-led two-day experience designed for Catholic couples and all Christian couples who need something more: more time, more depth, more honest guidance to find their way back to each other. This is not a retreat. It is not a workshop. It is a focused, clinical, faith-integrated marriage counseling compressed into an immersive experience that can accomplish in two days what might otherwise take years.
For more than 35 years, I’ve walked this path with couples who arrived feeling hopeless and left with something they hadn’t felt in a long time: clarity, and the first real sense of hope.
If your heart is still in this marriage, even a little, there is still a path forward.
“Hope starts with a single step.”
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just have to reach out.
→ Schedule Your Intensive: dan@paxrenewalcenter.com | 337-508-0867
This is not just any couples counseling intensive.
Many marriage intensives focus on inspiration, communication skills, or quick reconciliation. The Covenant Repair Intensive™ was built on a different foundation, one that takes your pain seriously and refuses to rush past it. It is rooted in the Catholic Christian understanding of marriage as a sacramental covenant, and guided by four core clinical commitments:
Containment before connection. Safety comes first. You will not be pushed into conversations you’re not ready for, or left emotionally exposed without support.
Truth before reassurance. Real healing requires honesty about what happened, how it felt, and what it means. We don’t paper over wounds.
Repair before forgiveness. Forgiveness is a destination, not a starting point. We build the conditions that make genuine reconciliation possible.
Process before promises. The intensive begins a journey. It doesn’t finish it. You’ll leave with a clear, personalized plan for what comes next.
This model integrates Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), the Gottman Method, Relational Life Therapy principles, and Catholic Christian principles of relationships, woven together with clinical precision and without pressure or moralizing. You are in the hands of a licensed clinician with more than 35 years of experience in marriage counseling and couples therapy.
Who the Covenant Repair Intensive™ is for:
This Catholic couples therapy intensive is designed for couples who are:
- Navigating betrayal, infidelity, or a significant breach of trust
- Stuck in painful, repetitive cycles of conflict, withdrawal, or emotional distance
- Feeling hopeless after years of struggle or previous therapy that didn’t hold
- Seeking an honest, faith-grounded space to discern whether to stay or separate
- Ready to commit real time and focused effort to their marriage
You don’t have to have it all figured out before you come. You just have to be willing to show up.
What the two days look like
Before the intensive begins, each partner completes the Gottman Relationship Checkup, a research-validated assessment that becomes the roadmap for our time together. This ensures that every hour is purposeful and tailored to your unique relationship.
The Five Pillars of the Covenant Repair Intensive™
Therapist-led pacing. Clear boundaries for disclosure. Ritualized openings and closings that regulate, not activate. You will not be left raw. .
Structured disclosure. Accountability without shame collapses. Reduced ambiguity because uncertainty is its own kind of wound.
Emotion-focused access to what's underneath the fear, the grief, and the longing. Space to be heard, and space to respond with genuine presence.
Live coaching in real time. Tools to interrupt fear-based cycles. Repair as a repeatable practice, not a one-time event.
Aftercare planning. A structured 12-week follow-up arc. Commitment framed not as a promise to be perfect, but as a practice of staying present again and again.
What couples are saying
The following are real reflections from couples who have completed the Covenant Repair Intensive™. Names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.
|
|
Your Investment
The Covenant Repair Intensive™ is one of the most significant and meaningful investments a couple can make. The extended time, undivided clinical attention, and structured follow-up arc create conditions that weekly marriage counseling simply cannot replicate.
Consider this: the average cost of divorce in Louisiana, including attorney fees, court costs, and the financial and emotional toll on children, far exceeds the cost of this intensive. This is an investment in your family, your sacramental covenant, and your future.
A deposit secures your date. Reach out to discuss.
FAQs
Yes. Many couples arrive with one partner uncertain and the other holding on. The intensive provides a space to explore that, honestly, not to pressure any particular outcome, but to find clarity together. Even couples who ultimately decide to part ways often find the intensive process invaluable for doing so with dignity, understanding, and a thoughtful co-parenting plan. If your spouse is hesitant, email me at dan@paxrenewalcenter.com, and I’ll help you find the right words to invite them.
A one-day intensive for individuals may be right for you. Many individuals find that gaining clarity, tools, and a plan even without their spouse present creates meaningful movement in the relationship. You don’t have to wait for both of you to be ready.
This is clinical therapeutic work, not coaching. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Louisiana, with over 35 years of specialized experience in couples in crisis. You are in the care of a licensed clinician throughout.
Once you secure your date with a deposit, each partner receives the Gottman Connect assessment by email. It takes about 45 minutes and gives me a detailed picture of your relationship before we begin. Beyond that, I ask only that you arrive rested, with open hands.
Most couples continue with a few therapy sessions, dispersed as needed over the next 4-6 months. I will send a weekly email for 12 weeks following the intensive. I structure these emails around four phases: stabilization, attachment repair, communication restructuring, and meaning-making. The follow-up arc is built into the Covenant Repair model. The marriage intensive begins the work, and we see it through together.
Yes. The Covenant Repair Intensive™ is available in-person at Pax Renewal Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, or virtually for qualifying couples who are unable to travel.
If you and your spouse feel at odds or are unsure about the future of your marriage, a Marriage Intensive might feel like a big step. To help you better understand what to expect, here’s an overview of how our time together unfolds:
A Structured, Solution-Focused Approach
Each day of the intensive begins at 9:00 AM and ends around 4:30 PM, with a break for lunch. Unlike traditional therapy, which often spends significant time analyzing the roots of your problems, we focus on solutions. The goal is to pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck, identify practical steps for healing, and work toward a marriage that feels more joyful, connected, and fulfilling—both emotionally and physically.
There’s no unnecessary dredging up of childhood experiences or reliving painful moments just for the sake of “getting it out.” Instead, our time together is concise and purposeful. We begin by clarifying your goals for the intensive, gaining an understanding of why you’re seeking help now, and determining what steps you can take to transform your relationship.
Addressing Immediate Crises First
If you’re coming to the intensive because of a recent crisis (such as the discovery of infidelity), we’ll start there. It’s essential to address the most pressing issues upfront so that we can create a clear roadmap for healing. From there, we’ll also explore other aspects of your relationship that need attention, ensuring we take a holistic approach to strengthening your marriage.
A Research-Backed Therapy Model
Much of the work we’ll do together is based on Solution-Focused Therapy, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, and the Gottman Method. These evidence-based approaches emphasize your strengths and resources rather than dwelling on shortcomings. This approach is highly goal-oriented and has been used worldwide to help people create meaningful, lasting change. Drawing on my almost 3 decades of experience, education, and training, I help couples achieve breakthroughs and move forward with clarity and purpose.
Diving Into Your Relationship History
While our focus is on solutions, part of the intensive will involve an in-depth exploration of your relationship history. By reflecting on key events that have impacted the quality of your marriage, both of you will gain a deeper understanding of how the past has shaped your present. This process often allows couples to see their relationship from new, more compassionate perspectives.
Practical Tools for Better Communication
One thing I’ve observed in countless couples is the inability to have constructive conversations about heated topics. That’s why a portion of every intensive is spent learning down-to-earth, practical relationship skills that help you navigate disagreements without escalating into fights. These tools are designed to help you stop destructive patterns and start building healthier, more productive ways of communicating.
Specialized Support for Complex Issues
Beyond everyday struggles, many couples come to me because they’re dealing with crises that have shaken the very foundation of their marriage—issues like infidelity, midlife crises, or challenges with intimacy and sexual desire. Over the years, I’ve specialized in helping couples work through these deeply personal and often overwhelming challenges.
A Clear Plan for Moving Forward
By the end of the two days, you’ll leave with a written, personalized plan to help you follow through on the commitments you’ve made during the intensive. This plan serves as a roadmap for maintaining the progress you’ve achieved and staying on track as you continue to strengthen your relationship.
To ensure lasting change, you’ll also have follow-up options such as in-person sessions, phone or video sessions. Ongoing support is key to solidifying the breakthroughs made during the intensive.
The Results Speak for Themselves
The extended time of the 2-day intensive creates a unique opportunity for couples to fully address their issues without feeling rushed. Most couples walk away with major breakthroughs, a renewed sense of connection, and clarity about the steps they need to take to sustain positive changes in their marriage.
Marriage Intensives are not just therapy—they’re a focused, transformative experience designed to help couples rediscover hope, connection, and a path forward. If you’re ready to take that step, I’m here to guide you.
A Word From Dan
I have been sitting with couples in their hardest moments for more than 35 years. I have witnessed what happens when two people are given enough time, enough safety, and enough honest guidance, and I have watched marriages that seemed completely beyond repair find their way back.
I am not here to save your marriage at any cost. I am here to help you tell the truth, face what is real, and make the best decision you can together. Whether that path leads toward deeper commitment or toward an honest and dignified parting, I will walk it with you.
As a man of faith, I believe that grace is real, that healing is possible, and that even in the darkest valleys, the path forward exists. I’ve seen it too many times to believe otherwise. I simply ask that you take the first step.
Your marriage is worth the time it takes to find out.
~ Dan Jurek
Ready to take the next step?
Email Dan at dan@paxrenewalcenter.com or fill out the form below. Share your preferred dates and a brief note about what brings you here. Dan responds personally to every inquiry.