THE CENTER FOR RELATIONSHIPS PRESENTS

THE ART & SCIENCE OF LOVE

The Lake Austin Retreat

17–18 April 2027—The Holdsworth Center—Twenty couples

GET THE EARLY BIRD PRICING
ATTEND AN INFORMATION SESSION

Two nights on a private campus at Lake Austin. Two days of the Gottman Method, taught by the psychologist who has led this weekend in Austin every year since 2006. No group sharing, no public disclosure — every conversation is between you and your partner.

The Art & Science of Love is the Gottman Institute's flagship couples workshop, built on more than forty years of research with thousands of couples. The Lake Austin Retreat is its residential edition: the same curriculum, given room to breathe — with meals, lodging, quiet hours between sessions, and a clinical team who know your names before you arrive.

Everything about the weekend is designed to keep you in it.

What sets this weekend apart

Couples who attend the commuter workshop tell us the hardest part is the drive home on Saturday night — the conversation you were in the middle of gets put down and rarely picked back up. The residential retreat exists to remove that interruption.

01

You stay on campus

Two nights of lodging on forty-four private acres above the lake. No commute, no hotel search, no Saturday-night reset.

02

A call before you come

A member of our clinical team speaks with each of you personally in the weeks beforehand — to answer questions, and to make sure the weekend is the right fit.

03

Twenty couples, not forty

A deliberately small cohort, with Gottman-trained therapists circulating throughout so help is never more than a raised hand away.

04

A private intention session

A one-hour session with a Gottman therapist before the retreat to name what you each want from the weekend. Included at this tier.

05

All meals provided

5 meals total across Saturday and Sunday, served on the terrace and in the dining room. Nothing to plan or book.

06

Time that belongs to you

Ninety-minute midday breaks and open evenings — the grounds, the gardens, the dock, and just the two of you.

The Holdsworth Center

The setting

A forty-four acre campus on the shore of Lake Austin, ten minutes from downtown and entirely closed to the public. Limestone and cedar buildings, cypress along the water, a boardwalk out to the dock, and lawns that stay quiet all weekend.

The campus was built for reflective work and it shows: there is nowhere to be but here.

ADDRESS

4907 Ranch Road 2222, Austin, Texas 78731

ROOMS

Guest rooms and private casitas, each with a lake or courtyard outlook.

DINING

All meals prepared on site and served in the dining room and on the terrace

GROUNDS

Lakefront garden, dock, pavilion, east and south lawns, fitness centre

ARRIVAL

On-site parking; twenty minutes from Austin-Bergstrom International

DIRECTION

Google, Bing, Mapquest

Time and Space for the
Two of You

The couple exercises at this retreat rarely happens in the room. They happen on a walk between sessions, on a bench facing the water, on the dock after dinner when neither of you is in a hurry.

Every couple is given a printed campus map on arrival, with the quiet places marked.

Two full teaching days, with everything else taken care of.

Your weekend

You will never be asked to speak about your relationship in front of the group. Dr. Meunier teaches, shows research footage, and guides you on the exercises with video and role-play— then you practice it privately, just the two of you, with a rover available to help you with the exercises.

Friday

Arrival

From 4:00 PM

  • Check in, settle into your room

  • Welcome kit and campus orientation

7:00 PM

  • Dinner on your own off campus.

The evening is yours after dinner.

Saturday

Friendship & connection

9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

  • The Sound Relationship House

  • Love Maps and open-ended questions

  • Fondness and admiration

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Lunch, and ninety minutes to yourselves.

2:00 PM– 6:00 PM

  • Turning towards: the three ways

  • The stress-reducing conversation

  • Sex, romance and passion

  • Rituals of connection

  • The positive perspective

7:00 PM

Dinner on the terrace. No programme.

Sunday

Conflict & repair

9:00 AM – 12.30 PM

  • Managing conflict, and what the research actually shows

  • The aftermath of a fight — demonstrated, then practised

  • Six skills for managing conflict

  • Self-soothing and physiological flooding

  • The softened start-up

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Lunch.

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

  • Repair and de-escalation

  • Listening to your partner's dreams

  • Accepting influence and compromise

  • The Magic Six Hours — what to do on Monday

Monday

Option to stay one extra night

Until 11.00 am

  • Breakfast and unhurried check-out

  • Your workbook, exercise cards and practice plan to take home

Most couples stay for a last walk down to the water.

Your facilitator

Dr. Vagdevi Meunier

Licensed psychologist, PsyD

Senior Certified Gottman Therapist and Master Trainer

Licensed psychologist, PsyD

Founder, The Center for Relationships, Austin

Twenty years leading this retreat · 40+ years in practice

“Couples don't fail because they fight. They fail because nobody ever showed them how to come back.”

Dr. Meunier is a licensed psychologist and one of a small number of Master Trainers certified by the Gottman Institute to teach all three levels of the Gottman Method to clinicians. She has led The Art & Science of Love in Austin every year since 2006 — twenty years, without interruption.

She is the founder and executive director of The Center for Relationships, has spent more than forty years as a therapist, educator and consultant, and has published on infidelity, personality and the Gottman Method. She trains and mentors relationship therapists worldwide.

One price, everything included.

Reserve the weekend

The Lake Austin Retreat is residential only — the price below covers both of you, for the whole weekend.

EARLY ACCESS · UNTIL 30 NOVEMBER 2026

$2,950

PER COUPLE

Held for couples on the early-access list. A $500 deposit reserves your room; the balance is due 1 February 2027.

STANDARD · FROM 1 DECEMBER 2026

$3,250

PER COUPLE

Registration closes on 17 April 2027 — whichever comes first.

  • Two nights' lodging for both partners

  • 5 meals on Saturday and Sunday

  • Two full days of instruction with Dr. Meunier

  • Private pre-retreat intention session

  • Personal call from our clinical team beforehand

  • The Art & Science of Love couples kit and workbook

  • Gottman-trained therapists on the floor throughout

  • Full use of the campus, grounds and fitness centre

Not included:

Travel to Austin, additional nights, and optional one-to-one $150 per hour for Love Support sessions before and after the weekend. Couples who would like ongoing therapy after the retreat can be matched with a Gottman-trained therapist at no charge.

JOIN THE EARLY ACCESS LIST
ATTEND AN INFORMATION SESSION
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  • “Vagdevi was great. Super knowledgeable and such a comfortable approach. Vagdevi really cares and wants to help me and my partner be a better couple.”

  • “We were able to engage in conflict and exit intact on the same day. That was a first.”

  • “We've recommended this retreat to friends, colleagues, family, and anyone we can. We enjoyed it so much that we're making it a ritual to attend every five years.”

  • “This weekend was extremely beneficial and enriching for our relationship. The content and exercises helped us understand each other better in ways that were unexpected and aided us in healing parts of our relationship.”

  • “I really appreciated the positivity and that lessons were given in bite-sized chunks. I expected to feel overwhelmed by the material, and I was not.”

  • “My partner and I did so incredibly well with the retreat that we got engaged to be married!”

  • “I've been doing relationship research for years and studied psychology at Yale — but this retreat was, bar none, the most valuable, useful, and relevant resource I've ever found.”

  • “I feel closer to my husband than I have in probably over a year in just 2 days. I am so grateful.”

  • “The retreat gave great real-life/relatable examples with easy to follow steps to approach problems that we have had over and over.”

  • “This seminar gave us the tools we have been seeing for years to successfully resolve perpetual conflicts. I am confident that having attended this seminar will enhance our marriage for years to come.”

  • “This surpassed my expectations. We left here feeling equipped to handle many of our stresses. Worth the time and money, thank you!”

  • “One of the most helpful things I learned is that there are no shortcuts to a healthy and effective marriage. It’s a lot of work but worth it if you just follow the process.”

  • “The content, accessibility to therapists, and obvious expertise of the presenters were most helpful.”

  • “The information and presentation was provocative and greatly appreciated. This is a program I endorse and will share with others.”

  • “My partner and I LOVED the activities and it was the perfect starting light, building connection, and putting us in a happy place before diving into us constructively solving problems.”

Questions couples ask us first.

  • No. There is no group sharing and no public disclosure of any kind. Dr. Meunier teaches, shows film clips, and demonstrates each exercise with role play — then you practise privately, just the two of you. A Gottman-trained therapist is available whenever you would like one-to-one help.

  • No. It is an educational retreat. Many couples find it as powerful as months of counselling, but it works differently — you learn and practise skills together rather than processing with a therapist. If you would like ongoing support afterwards, we will connect you with a Gottman-trained therapist.

  • Often, yes — many couples come precisely because things are hard. This is why we call every registered couple beforehand. That conversation is not a test; it is how we make sure the weekend will help rather than hurt, and how we arrange the right support if you need it. If we think another form of help should come first, we will say so and refund you in full.

  • The curriculum is the same. The Lake Austin Retreat adds two nights' lodging, all meals, a private campus, a smaller cohort of twelve couples, a pre-retreat intention session, and unstructured time between sessions. The weekend workshop is a commuter format in the city, at a lower price.

  • Absolutely. We welcome every couple in a committed relationship — dating, engaged, partnered or married — and the retreat is excellent premarital preparation.

  • Yes. We welcome all couples, and the Gottman curriculum includes research data on same-sex relationships.

  • Nothing is required. Some couples enjoy reading Dr. Gottman's The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work in advance, but it is entirely optional. You will complete a short form and have your call with our team; that is all.

  • The $500 deposit is fully refundable until 1 February 2027. After that date, the deposit is transferable to a future retreat but not refundable. Cancellations after 17 March 2027 are non-refundable, as the campus is booked and staffed on our final numbers. We strongly recommend travel insurance for couples flying in.

  • Yes. We ask about dietary requirements, mobility, seating preferences and anything else that would make the weekend more comfortable during your pre-retreat call, and the campus is fully accessible.

17–18 April 2027

Twenty rooms.
One weekend a year.

Early-access pricing is held for couples on the list. Join it and we will give you priority access to the intention setting and love support session

JOIN THE EARLY ACCESS LIST
ATTEND AN INFORMATION SESSION

THE CENTER FOR RELATIONSHIPS

3660 Stoneridge Road, Suite F102 Austin, Texas 78746

512.465.2926

events@thecenter4relationships.com

CONTACT

THE VENUE

The Holdsworth Center 4907 Ranch Road 2222, Austin

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