Extended Therapy Sessions
In-person in Cary, North Carolina
Extended couples therapy sessions work well for couples who need focused, deep work but can't make weekly therapy happen easily, or for couples who are ready to stop tiptoeing around the real issues and dive into what's actually keeping them stuck.
We block 3-6 hours (with breaks) to work through conflict in real time, explore the patterns underneath your fights, help you understand what's driving the disconnection, and practice new ways of responding to each other. You leave with actual movement, not just another therapy appointment scheduled for next week.
Extended sessions may be the perfect fit for you if:
Common Themes in Extended Therapy Sessions
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Infidelity or affair discovery: you need time to process the trauma, rage, and grief without stopping when you're just getting started
Financial infidelity: unpacking hidden debt, secret spending, or financial deception requires depth
Major breach of trust that can't be addressed in 50-minute increments
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You keep having the same argument over and over, and 50 minutes isn't enough time to actually work through the pattern and find a different way forward
High-conflict couples who escalate quickly — you need time to de-escalate, understand what's happening, and practice different responses
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Rebuilding sexual intimacy after infidelity, childbirth, or trauma
One partner questioning their sexual identity
Exploring or navigating non-traditional relationship structures
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ADHD or Autism creating parent-child dynamics, communication breakdowns, or chronic misunderstanding that requires deep exploration of patterns
Executive function challenges destroying intimacy and creating resentment
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New baby, postpartum struggles, or adjusting to parenthood while your relationship is suffering
Blended family dynamics, step-parenting conflicts, or co-parenting issues
Empty nest, retirement, or major career changes shifting relationship dynamics
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Working through past trauma (childhood, previous relationships) that's affecting current partnership
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Deciding whether to get married, have children, relocate, or make other life-altering choices together
One partner wants kids; the other doesn't - you need depth to explore whether this is workable
Religious, values, or lifestyle differences that feel insurmountable
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Coming out to your partner about your sexual identity, gender identity, or relationship needs
Disclosing something significant (past trauma, addiction, major secret)
Navigating a partner's disclosure and deciding what comes next
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Attachment wounds driving pursuing-withdrawing cycles
Contempt, criticism, defensiveness, or stonewalling that's destroying the relationship
Emotional disconnection or roommate syndrome where intimacy has died
If your issue is complex, crisis-level, or keeps getting left unresolved in standard therapy sessions, extended sessions give you the time to actually work through it instead of just talking about it week after week.
What a Typical Extended Session Looks Like
Notes on all sessions:
Breaks are flexible based on your needs—if you need a break earlier, we take it.
We're not watching the clock rigidly; if we're in the middle of something important, we adjust.
Longer sessions (4-6 hours) often include real-time conflict work, not just talking about fights after the fact.
You're not expected to be "on" the entire time. Some of the work is sitting with silence, processing, or reflecting.
Lisa Caprioli, LCSW, LISW
In-person in Cary, NC
Extended Therapy Specialties:
Recent Major Betrayals
Crisis Situations
Stuck in the Same Fight
Relationship Transitions
Neurodivergence Affecting the Relationship
Major Life Transitions
Processing Relationship Trauma
Making Major Relationship Decisions
Difficult Conversations
Conflict Patterns that Require Deep Work
This service is offered for current and new couples counseling clients. It is an in-person service provided by Lisa Caprioli in her office: 1148 Executive Circle, Suite 6, Cary, NC 27511.
Approaches to Extended Therapy Sessions
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Reviewing the Cycle of Conflict
Understanding patterns
Explore vulnerable emotions driving the conflict
Gottman
Reflective listening skills
Four horsemen
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Extended sessions give you the time to actually work through issues instead of just talking about them week after week.
Here's what makes them different:
You get to finish what you start. Standard 50-minute sessions often end right when you're getting to the real issue. You spend 15 minutes catching up, 20 minutes digging in, and then time's up. You leave frustrated because you touched on something important but didn't resolve it. Extended sessions let us work through the conflict, understand the pattern driving it, and practice responding differently—all in one sitting.
You work through your cycle, not just around it. We have time to identify the negative cycle you're stuck in (the pursuing-withdrawing, attack-defend pattern), understand the attachment fears driving it, sit with the emotions underneath the fight, and help you interrupt the cycle in real time. You're not just talking about what happened last Tuesday—you're doing the actual work of changing how you respond to each other.
It works with your life. If you travel for work, have kids and can't arrange weekly childcare, or work irregular hours, extended sessions let you do meaningful therapy without the grind of weekly appointments. You can schedule two 3-hour sessions in a week or three 2-hour sessions over a few days, whatever works for your schedule.
You leave with clarity and movement. Instead of walking out mid-conflict or with homework you won't do, you leave having worked through something real. You understand what's happening between you, you've practiced new responses, and you have a clearer sense of what comes next. Progress happens in the room, not in theory.
It's often more efficient. One 4-hour intensive can accomplish what might take 6-8 weekly sessions to cover—if you even get there at all in weekly therapy. You're not re-explaining context every week or losing momentum between appointments. The work is focused, deep, and uninterrupted.
It's built for crisis or high-stakes situations. If you're dealing with infidelity, considering separation, navigating a major betrayal, or stuck in a conflict that's destroying your relationship, you need more than an hour a week. Extended sessions give you the focused intervention required to stabilize things and start moving forward.
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I get it. The idea of sitting in therapy for that long probably feels overwhelming. Here's what actually happens:
We take breaks. You're not stuck in a chair for six straight hours. We build in breaks for bathroom, water, stretching, stepping outside, or just resetting your brain. Longer sessions include a real lunch break. The structure is designed to give you space to breathe, not to exhaust you.
The time goes faster than you think. Once we're working on real stuff—not just recapping your week or tiptoeing around the issue—the time moves. You're engaged, processing, making sense of things. It's not like sitting through a six-hour meeting. It's focused work, and it doesn't drag the way you're imagining.
You don't have to do it all at once. Extended sessions can be divided over a few days or a week if that works better for you. Two three-hour sessions in one week. Three two-hour sessions over a few days. Whatever fits your schedule and energy level. The point is uninterrupted depth, not endurance.
You leave having actually worked through something. In standard therapy, you often leave mid-conflict or right when you're getting to the real issue. Extended sessions give us time to work through your EFT cycle—understand what's driving the fight, sit with the emotions underneath it, and practice responding differently—instead of stopping right when things get real and picking it up again next week. You walk out with clarity and movement, not just another appointment scheduled.
Bottom line: Extended sessions aren't about sitting in discomfort for hours. They're about finally having enough time to do the deep work that actually changes things, with breaks built in and flexibility to structure it in a way that works for you.
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We DO NOT accept insurance for this service.
Extended therapy sessions, $205 per hour
Ready to get started?
Interested clients should email Lisa at lisacaprioli@relationship.repair
or click "Schedule a free consultation" below, request Lisa and inquire about extended therapy sessions.