Intensive Trauma Therapy
for Military & First Responder Spouses

in Colorado Springs, CO

Accelerated Therapy
for Spouses Ready to Reclaim Themselves

Stop being invisible and get the support you deserve.

Intensives are for you if:

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You know this life, and this marriage, is different.
You need support from someone who gets it.

You’re tired of being told "all marriages have challenges." Yes, but few come with the sprinkles of vicarious trauma, PTSD, TBI, shame, numbness, secrecy, and even competition with the “brotherhood” that these careers involve. Traditional therapy may not have worked for you, or not enough.

You've become the family's emotional manager. You regulate everyone's emotions, manage the household during deployments or shifts, and somehow you're supposed to also be understanding when he can't access his feelings. You're exhausted from carrying the emotional load for everyone while inside you visualize rage-quitting.

You feel like you're walking on eggshells. His hypervigilance means sudden movements, loud noises, or even crowded spaces can trigger responses that affect the whole family. It’s exhausting keeping the kids quiet, the house clean, and yourself on standby to mitigate the next outburst.

The person you fell in love with feels unreachable. He can lead teams, make life-or-death decisions, and perform under extreme pressure, but he is annoyed whenever you want to have emotional conversation about… anything. You know your loving, vulnerable best friend is in there, but you haven’t seen him in a while and really miss him.

You love his brothers, but sometimes you hate how much they matter to him. You understand their bond was forged under fire, but it stings when he's more comfortable being vulnerable with his teammates than with you. You want to honor their relationship without feeling like you're always coming in second place.

Everyone expects you to support him. The military or first responder community sees you as part of the "hero family," but you're human too. You have bad days, anxiety, and your own struggles, and feel guilty expressing them when he's dealing with "life-or-death" issues. Don’t be needy or naggy, or it detracts from his job.

You're carrying trauma you didn't sign up for. You absorb his stress, worry through every deployment or dangerous shift, and live with the constant awareness that the person you love most could die at work. At some point, he changed and you changed. You need help processing your own secondary trauma, not just tips for "supporting your hero."

Strong in Love, True to You

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I'm Dr. Alisa Bartel, and I understand your reality because I've lived it.

As the wife of a Purple Heart combat veteran and stepdaughter to a Green Beret, I know what it's like to love someone whose identity was forged in life-or-death situations, and I know the unique challenges that creates for families.

I offer Clinical Intensives for spouses because you deserve more than being told to "be patient" or "understand what he's been through."

Using my specialized training, personal experience, and evidence-based approaches, we can address the unique emotional labor you carry, help you develop boundaries that protect your own wellbeing, and give you tools for creating the relationship you both deserve.

My approach isn't to make you a "better spouse" but to help you reclaim your own identity and emotional health while loving someone whose world is different from most.

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What is a Clinical Intensive for Spouses?

A Clinical Intensive is focused, uninterrupted time to address the specific challenges of loving someone in a mortality-exposed, high stakes profession. Instead of weekly sessions where you spend half the time explaining military culture to a civilian therapist, you get deep, concentrated work with someone who already understands your reality.

During a Clinical Intensive, you get my undivided attention for 3-6 hours per day over 1-5 days, allowing us to address years of accumulated stress, secondary trauma, and relationship patterns that weekly therapy takes too long to touch.

Clinical Intensives are perfect for Warrior Spouses who:

  • Are tired of explaining why their relationship is different or why that skill won’t work

  • Need to process their own trauma, not just support their partner's

  • Want practical tools, not just validation

  • Are ready to reclaim their own identity and emotional health

  • Prefer intensive work over years of incremental progress

Why Traditional Weekly Therapy Doesn’t Always Work for Warrior Families:

Many therapists won't understand your reality: They may not be well versed in military or first responder culture, understand the effects that TBI, PTSD, and chronic mortality exposure bring to your relationship, or why traditional therapy skills don’t work for you.

The focus is always on "supporting him": You need support too, but most resources treat you as the helper, not someone with your own valid struggles and trauma responses.

No time for real processing: Your issues are complex and layered. You can't unpack years of emotional labor, secondary trauma, and identity loss in 50-minute sessions.

If you've felt unseen and unsupported, it's time to try a different approach.

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    Step 1

    Strategic Session (Free 20-minute consultation)

    We'll discuss your specific situation, the unique challenges you're facing, and determine if a Clinical Intensive is the right fit for your needs.

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    Step 2

    Comprehensive Intake (90-minute Session)

    We'll map out your relationship history, identify patterns that aren't working, and develop a focused plan for your intensive work. You'll receive a spouse-specific preparation workbook.

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    Step 3

    Intensive Therapy Sessions

    This is your time: 3-6 hours of focused work using approaches specifically designed for military/first responder spouses to address the specific challenges of loving a Warrior, secondary trauma, boundaries and intimacy, identity reclamation, trust and intuition, communication strategies, and more.

  • Mountain landscape with snow-capped peaks, green forested hillside, and a calm lake reflecting the scenery at sunrise or sunset.

    Step 4

    Integration Planning (90-minute Follow-up)

    We'll consolidate what you've learned, create a plan for implementing changes, and develop strategies for maintaining your progress.

Schedule Consult

Clinical Intensives Can Help You:

  • Stop absorbing their trauma while still being supportive

  • Develop boundaries that protect your emotional health without feeling guilty

  • Learn to honor their brotherhood without feeling like you're competing

  • Process your own anxiety about their safety and dangerous work

  • Reclaim your identity beyond being "the spouse of a hero"

  • Create emotional safety for both of you to be vulnerable

  • Build a support network with others who understand your reality

  • Navigate the unique challenges of deployments, shift work, and unpredictable schedule

  • Develop strategies for helping them transition between work and family modes

  • Learn tactical empathy techniques that work with their communication style

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Readiness Evaluation

  • Includes:

    • 4 intensive sessions (6 hours each)

    • 90-minute intake session

    • 90-minute follow-up session

    • Customized workbook

    • Complete secondary trauma processing

    • Identity and purpose redefinition

    • Support network development

    • 30-day follow-up session

    Best for: Complex family situations, multiple deployments/traumas, or complete life restructuring

  • Starting at $10,000

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Foundation Building

    • 3-hour intensive session

    • 90-minute intake session

    • 90-minute follow-up session

    • Spouse-specific workbook

    • Personalized resources and self-care planning

    Best for: Establishing boundaries, processing recent stressors, or addressing specific relationship challenges

  • Starting at $1,800

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Deep Restoration

  • Includes:

    • 6-hour intensive session (can be split over 2 days)

    • 90-minute intake session

    • 90-minute follow-up session

    • Comprehensive workbook

    • Secondary trauma processing resources

    • Personalized communication strategies

    Best for: Processing secondary trauma, major identity work, or comprehensive relationship restructuring

  • Starting at $2,700

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Reclaim Your Life

  • Includes:

    • 3 intensive sessions (6 hours each)

    • 90-minute intake session

    • 90-minute follow-up session

    • Customized workbook

    • Secondary trauma processing

    • Identity reclamation work

    • Between-session support

    Best for: Years of accumulated stress, major transitions (retirement, career change), or complete relationship transformation

  • Starting at $6,300

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Complete Renewal

  • Includes:

    • 3-hour comprehensive assessment and consultation

    • Detailed analysis of your relationship patterns and stress responses

    • Clear recommendations for next steps (individual work, approach type, support resources)

    • Treatment overview with specific recommendations for your situation

    Not sure what kind of support you need most?

    Many spouses aren't sure if they need individual therapy, relationship support, or something else entirely. The Relationship Readiness Evaluation helps you get clear on:

    • Whether your challenges are better addressed through individual therapy, support groups, or other approaches

    • If you're ready for intensive work or need to start with foundational support

    • What specific type of intervention would be most helpful for your relationship

    • Whether your current situation supports doing deep personal work

    • What preparation or support systems you might need before intensive therapy

    • If your partner's readiness level affects what approach would work best for you

  • Starting at $900

FAQs

Will this help our relationship even if he's not participating?

Absolutely. When you change how you show up in the relationship—with better boundaries, clearer communication, and less absorption of his trauma—it creates space for him to show up differently too. Many spouses see significant relationship improvements even when their partner isn't in therapy.

Do you work with spouses who aren't married to combat veterans?

Yes. I work with spouses of all first responders and military personnel who face mortality in their work—police, firefighters, EMTs, tactical units, and others. My approach applies to anyone loving someone in a mortality-exposed profession. If you do not meet these criteria but believe you could benefit from this intensive, please reach out and we will discuss your needs.

Can you handle what I've been through?

Yes. As someone who's lived the combat veteran and PTSD family life, and specializes in trauma, I understand the realities of your experiences. You won't shock me, and you won't have to educate me about military culture, shy away from sharing the intensity of your arguments, or worry about discussing resentment, sex, infidelity, or other taboo topics.

What if I'm not sure an intensive is right for me?

That's exactly what the Mission Readiness Evaluation is for. This comprehensive assessment helps determine what type of support would be most effective for your specific situation. Some people benefit more from traditional weekly therapy, others from coaching or support groups, and others are perfect candidates for intensive work. We'll figure out what's right for you.

What about payment and scheduling?

A 50% deposit reserves your dates, with the balance due on your first intensive day. I accept credit cards, HSA, and FSA. Unfortunately, insurance doesn't cover the full cost of intensives, but many clients find the investment worthwhile for the accelerated results.

What's your cancellation policy?

Due to the intensive nature and time commitment, there's a 2-week cancellation policy. Cancellations within 2 weeks are responsible for the full fee.

Do you offer couples intensives?

Not at this time. However, it is a service that I hope to offer in the future!