Where clarity begins, and connection deepens..
Private couples therapy retreats in two NYC locations.
Bold work in the city’s quietest corner.
Our Retreat
Couples Therapy in the Heart of Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Choose our DUMBO, Brooklyn location or 34th Street near Penn Station, Midtown office for a deeply personalized experience, led by two seasoned couples therapists Dr. Nancy Garcia-Ruffin and Dr. Paulette Sherman.
Are you:
If you’re coping with untreated mental illness, active addiction, or domestic violence, those concerns deserve specialized care—and we’re happy to refer you to professionals who can help.
We are not a fit for every couple.
Healing takes courage. We work best with couples ready to show up with heart, honesty, and effort.
That’s what our NYC couples therapy retreats offer:
Time. Focus. Privacy.
A way to begin again—together.
These private retreats don’t just help you talk differently. They help you live differently—while you’re still in it.
You’ll explore the roots of conflict, rebuild trust, and live new patterns in real time. It’s immersive, powerful, and designed for couples who need change now—not someday.
Deeper healing. Less time. The support you’ve been waiting for.
“It wasn’t easy-but it was transformative.”
Why a Retreat?
Because real connection takes more than good intentions.
In a one-hour session, you might barely scratch the surface.
Then it’s back to the kids, the inbox, the to-do list.
A retreat is different.
No rush. No distractions.
Just time to see each other clearly, speak truthfully, and begin again—with support.
Some silences are worth breaking.
More time = deeper work.
More focus = faster insight.
More privacy = fewer defenses.
This isn’t therapy as usual. It’s a reset.
One designed for couples who are ready to stop spiraling—and start rebuilding.
Meet Your NYC Couples Therapists
Dr. Nancy Garcia-Ruffin
Psychologist
Board-certified sex therapist and seasoned couples psychologist.
Warm. Direct. Evidence-based. Offers sessions in English and Spanish.
Nancy combines deep clinical experience with a personal understanding of what it takes to rebuild trust, repair love, and navigate complexity. She’s equally comfortable working with BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and mixed-race couples, and brings specialized skill to clients facing adoption, infertility, or communication blocks.
Dr. Garcia-Ruffin’s therapy office is nestled just under the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO—a neighborhood famous for its views, creative energy, and quiet nooks.
Learn more about Dr. Garcia-Ruffin →
Dr. Paulette Sherman
Psychologist
Dr. Paulette Sherman brings over 17 years of experience helping couples shift out of stuck patterns and back into real connection. Her work is deep, direct, and transformative—designed to meet high-functioning partners where they are, and move them forward with clarity. Drawing from the Gottman Method and Discernment Counseling, she helps couples reconnect—not by avoiding conflict, but by working through it with skill and intention.
Located on 34th Street near Penn Station, this Midtown office is steps from iconic landmarks and world-class hotels—offering ease of access for couples traveling in by train, subway, or air. Amid the city’s constant motion, the space itself is quiet and focused—designed for deep, uninterrupted work just above the noise.
Learn more about Dr. Paulette Sherman →
The Unseen Cost of Relationship Distress
Living in a city that never stops doesn’t mean your relationship should feel constantly in motion, too. Behind the pace, the pressure, and the curated snapshots of city life, many couples are quietly unraveling.
Conflict shows up not just in the yelling—but in the silence.
The scrolling.
The sleeping back-to-back.
You may live side by side, yet feel worlds apart.
The truth? Relationship distress impacts your health, your work, your sleep, even your sense of self. And it rarely resolves on its own. That’s why we do something different.
“Relationships don’t collapse in a moment.
They fade in the spaces where we stop reaching.
That’s where our work begins.”— Dr. Kathy McMahon, Founder, Couples Therapy Inc.
Is an Intensive Retreat Right for You?
Maybe you’ve tried weekly therapy. Maybe you haven’t.
Either way, the patterns are back. Or never left.
In our Brooklyn intensives, we go beyond surface talk.
We help you identify what’s actually going on—and how to change it.
Expect honesty. Expect effort. Expect to leave with tools, insight, and clarity.
“Surviving isn’t the same as living. Let’s rebuild a love worth living for.”
After the Retreat
Your retreat may be over, but the shift doesn’t stop there.
We offer structured support to help you maintain the gains you’ve made:
We’re here for your growth.
We’re not just here for your crisis.
How is all of this done?
You’re not supposed to know.
That’s why we’ve mapped the path—step by step, human to human.
No guessing. No “choose from a list of strangers.”
Just a clear, guided process that starts with listening—really listening—and ends with a match that actually fits.
We’ll walk you through what working with us looks like, how we choose your therapist, and what to expect every step of the way. Whether you’re arriving with doubt, hope, or just a deep sense that something needs to change—we’ll help you take the first real step.
Let’s Begin
Let’s stop circling the same arguments.
Let’s make this the moment it changed.