Join with other couples to tune up, renew, even repair your relationship. Hold Me Tight® retreats are cost effective and time efficient. Great for rekindling romance and works wonders for distressed relationships too.
Wait, don’t click away from this page yet!
I know. You can’t! imagine! working on your relationship in a group setting. The feedback we get, again and again, is “This was so worth it for us.” Often this is from a partner who wasn’t keen on going.
Will we have to talk about our relationship with other couples?
No.
Imagine a large auditorium sized room. In one part of the auditorium there is a gathering area. There you and your partner together with 9-15 other couples, will watch video clips of real couples and hear about the latest research on adult love relationships. (Yes adult love is the subject of scientific research!) You will not be required to be an active participant in the larger group times.
Around the perimeter of the auditorium there are private couple stations. There is space between the couple stations. There will be quiet background music throughout the auditorium. You’ll take the material presented to the larger group to your private couple station and with only your partner you’ll apply what you’ve heard in the larger group to your specific relationship. There will be ample private couple time.
Upcoming Retreats
Toronto, September 27-29, 2019
Hold Me Tight®
Caledon, Fall, 2019 (exact date to be determined)
Touch, Physical Intimacy & Sexuality
Toronto, February 28 – March 1, 2020
Hold Me Tight®
Caledon, Spring, 2020 (exact date to be determined)
Touch, Physical Intimacy & Sexuality
What a Hold Me Tight® retreat meant to a real couple
Who attends Hold Me Tight® retreats at Couples In Step?
Most couples are committed and looking to deepen, rekindle or heal their relationship. Some are at the beginning of their relationship, some ten years in, some many more years in.
A few couples come uncertain about the future of their relationship. Some come wondering if their relationship could benefit from the deeper work of couple’s therapy.
Same sex couples come, dating couples come, couples in their second or third relationship come, married or un-married couples come, therapists wondering about couples counselling come… get the picture?
Hold Me Tight® retreats help couples with virtually every concern, and whatever place they are at in their relationship. Amazing, and certainly not what Irene expected when she started doing these retreats, but that’s what she (and her colleagues across the world) have found!
And yes, the group nature of Hold Me Tight®couples retreats is anxiety provoking for many. Rest assured, there is a lot of private couple time at a Hold Me Tight® retreat and you will not be required to be an active participant in the larger group times. You can learn more about the structure of a Hold Me Tight® on the retreats FAQ’s page.
September 27-29, 2019, Toronto, ON fees
| Registration Deadlines | Retreat Fee | Materials* | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before September 2 | 675 | 197 | 872 Per Couple |
| September 2 – 8 | 725 | 197 | 922 Per Couple |
| September 9 – 22 | 760 | 197 | 972 Per Couple |
| Registration closes Sunday September 22, 2019 at 11:55 pm |
*Materials cost includes the venue charges, workbooks, Saturday and Sunday lunch, snacks, beverages. Does not include overnight accommodation.
Discounts
Please note that discounts cannot be combined. You will have an opportunity to add in the discount code as you conclude the registration process. The discount amount will be subtracted from your final amount due.
Couples currently in couples therapy with another therapist are eligible for a $75 discount/couple. Discount code is MHP75
Mental health professionals/health professionals are eligible for a $50 discount. Discount code is HP50
You are eligible for a $125 discount if you have been or are currently in couples therapy at Couples In Step. Discount code is CP125
A medical receipt will be distributed at the conclusion of the retreat and may be submitted to your insurance for reimbursement. Materials cost is not included on the medical receipt.
Times and location
Friday 2-6:00 pm, Saturday 9:30 am-4 pm, Sunday 1-5:00 pm.
Location: Lawrence Park Community Church, 2180 Bayview, Toronto (just south of Lawrence, across from Sunnybrook Hospital). Though this is a church there is not a religious focus at this retreat.
February 28 – March 1, 2020, Toronto, ON fees
| Registration Deadlines | Retreat Fee | Materials* | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before February 3 | 675 | 197 | 872 Per Couple |
| February 3 – 9 | 725 | 197 | 922 Per Couple |
| February 9 – 22 | 760 | 197 | 972 Per Couple |
| Registration closes Sunday February 22, 2020 at 11:55 pm |
*Materials cost includes the venue charges, workbooks, Saturday and Sunday lunch, snacks, beverages. Does not include overnight accommodation.
Discounts
Couples currently in couples therapy with another therapist are eligible for a $75 discount/couple. Discount code is MHP75
Mental health professionals/health professionals are eligible for a $50 discount. Discount code is HP50
You are eligible for a $125 discount if you have been or are currently in couples therapy at Couples In Step. Discount code is CP125
Please note that discounts cannot be combined. You will have an opportunity to add in the discount code as you conclude the registration process. The discount amount will be subtracted from your final amount due.
*Materials
Materials cost includes the venue charges, workbooks, Saturday and Sunday lunch, snacks, beverages. Does not include overnight accommodation.
Times and location
Friday 2-6:00 pm, Saturday 9:30 am-4 pm, Sunday 1-5:00 pm.
Location: Lawrence Park Community Church, 2180 Bayview, Toronto (just south of Lawrence, across from Sunnybrook Hospital). Though this is a church there is not a religious focus at this retreat.
Hold Me Tight® retreats at Couples In Step
Since 2012 Couples In Step has hosted more than 250 couples in more than 20 Hold Me Tight® retreats in the Toronto area.
Couples In Step offers Hold Me Tight® retreats twice a year, in the spring and the fall. They begin on Friday afternoon at 2 pm and conclude late Sunday afternoon. You’ll stay in a nearby hotel or bed and breakfast (accommodation costs are not included in the retreat fee).
Irene Oudyk-Suk, MSW, RSW RP, is the facilitator of this weekend retreat for couples. Irene and her husband first experienced a Hold Me Tight® retreat as participants in early 2012. A few months later Irene facilitated her first Hold Me Tight®.
Hold Me Tight® registrants have come from all over the United States and Canada. In Ontario couples come from places such as Toronto, GTA, Hamilton, Windsor, London, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Kingston, Ottawa, Waterloo, Mississauga, Brampton, New Market and other places in between. Couples have also come from other provinces such as Quebec, Alberta, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
Hold Me Tight® retreats are held at many other locations in North America.
Hold Me Tight® is a registered trademark to Sue Johnson. The Hold Me Tight® retreat is based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Dr. Johnson’s bestseller book, Hold Me Tight®, Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love.
Nearly Every Couple Faces Challenges
Sometimes the difficulties can get so over whelming they can make both of you feel helpless. In our stress-filled, anxiety-driven lives it helps to talk with a professional about your relationship. Couples In Step offers a variety of services to help couples repair and revive their relationship: in-person counselling, on-line counselling, 3-day intensive couples counselling for couples in crisis, weekend couples retreats, discernment counselling for couples where one, or both of you, are uncertain about continuing the relationship.