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Closer Than Ever
A Romantic Relationship Gift for Deeper Emotional Intimacy
Less Stuff. More Us.
What if the most romantic gift you could give wasn't a thing at all?
Closer Than Ever is more than just series of coaching session, it's a small, deliberate act of courage and the most romantic of gestures. Over four sessions, you learn to give each other the greatest gift there is - the gift of understanding and being understood.
Instead of another object in a box, it’s a commitment to your relationship, to sit together, tell the truth about what closeness means to you, and create a new story about your connection that says, “We didn’t settle for ‘fine.’”
The Most Meaningful Relationship Gift:
Closer Than Ever – The Gift of Emotional Intimacy
The most meaningful gift you can give your partner is an investment in your relationship and your emotional connection - a romantic gesture that has depth and meaning.
Flowers wilt. vacations come to an end. But when you give the gift of focused time to deepen your connection, you're offering something that continues to pay off long after the experience is over. This kind of gift says, "I value us, and I want us to feel closer, and more connected." It's a gift that comes with a message of "I value what we have and want more of it."
A gift like this works especially well when:
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You've noticed you're drifting into "roommate mode" even though you still love each other
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You want to surprise your partner with something that shows real thought and care
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You're both craving deeper conversations but don't know how to start them
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You'd like a shared language and simple rituals you can actually use
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You want guidance without committing to long-term therapy
If you're searching for a gift that reflects how much your relationship means to you, choosing something that strengthens your emotional closeness can be more lasting than any object.
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The G.I.F.T Framework -
How We Help Couples Grow Closer
In this intensive, we use my GIFT Framework for emotional intimacy:
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We gather your stories in two individual sessions,
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Identify the patterns between you that needs some tweaks.
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Focus on creating your unique intimacy formula,
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We give you Tools & Tasks so you can keep practicing closeness long after the sessions end
G- Gather Data
Gather information in sessions with each partner
I- Identify Patterns
Name the patterns that kill emotional intimacy
F- Focus & Formula
Teach skills and scripts for emotional communication
T- Task & Tools
Create a customized future plan for you.
Relationship Gifts From A Couples Therapist in LA
With nearly a decade of experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist West Hollywood, I provide therapy and counseling to adults, couples, and families in West Hollywood, CA.
I prioritize the importance of healthy and balanced relationships with our 'self', 'others', and 'family'. This lens gives me broad categories in which to explore how I can assist people with a variety of concerns, including anxiety disorder, depression, addiction, dynamics, negative life experiences, and, of course, relationships.
The Most Romantic Gift Is Emotional Intimacy
(Not What’s in the Gift Bag)
The most romantic gift you can give your partner is the experience of being truly seen, heard, and understood by you.
Romance isn't really about wrapped packages or grand gestures. It's about feeling emotionally close to someone who knows you deeply and chooses you anyway. When your partner feels like you genuinely want to understand their inner world—their fears, hopes, and needs—that creates a sense of connection that no physical object can match. Emotional intimacy is what makes people feel cherished, not just appreciated.
According to research from the Gottman Institute, couples who stayed together turned toward each other's bids for emotional connection 86 percent of the time, while couples who later divorced responded to those bids only about one-third of the time.
True romantic gestures often look like:
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Asking questions that go beyond "how was your day"
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Remembering what makes your partner feel safe and loved
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Being willing to talk about hard things without shutting down
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Showing curiosity about your partner's feelings, not just their opinions
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Making time to connect even when life gets busy
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If you've been searching for a gift that shows your partner how much they mean to you, focusing on emotional closeness will land deeper than anything you could put in a gift bag.
How This Relationship Gift Works:
A 4-Session Emotional Intimacy Intensive for Couples
This intensive works by giving each partner individual space to share their experience, then bringing you together to build a shared understanding and a concrete plan for staying close.
The format is designed to feel like a contained, meaningful experience rather than open-ended therapy. Each partner first meets one-on-one with the coach to explore how they experience closeness, distance, and emotional safety in the relationship. Then you come together for two joint sessions where you learn to see each other's perspective and create rituals that fit your unique relationship.
"Couples often know something feels off, but they lack the language to describe it," explains a relationship coach. "This structure gives them that language—and a way forward."
Here's what the four sessions look like:
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Session 1 (Partner A, 1:1): You share what closeness and disconnection feel like from your side—what feels good, what feels lonely, and what tends to shut you down
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Session 2 (Partner B, 1:1): Your partner does the same, exploring their own experience of emotional safety and distance
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Session 3 (Joint): You put both perspectives side by side and name the patterns that have been getting in the way of connection
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Session 4 (Joint): You build a personalized plan with specific rituals, scripts, and conversations to keep emotional intimacy alive over the coming months.
If you want a clear starting point for reconnecting—without committing to months of therapy—this kind of short intensive can give you the shared map and practical tools to move forward together.
What’s Included in This Romantic Gift Experience
This experience includes four coaching sessions plus a set of personalized takeaways designed to help you continue growing closer long after the intensive ends.
Unlike a one-time gift that gets used and forgotten, everything in this package is tailored specifically to your relationship. You won't receive generic advice or worksheets meant for any couple. Instead, you'll walk away with tools that reflect your unique patterns, needs, and goals as a pair. The written materials are designed to be revisited whenever you need a reminder of what you learned together.
"The best relationship work gives couples something they can hold onto," notes a couples therapist. "Not just insights, but actual words and actions they can return to when things get hard."
Here's what you'll receive:
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4 coaching sessions (two individual, two together) completed over 10–14 days
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Emotional Intimacy Snapshot: A 1–2 page written summary of how you each experience closeness and the key patterns that pull you apart or bring you together
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Personalized Rituals & Scripts Pack: A short PDF with 3–5 connection rituals and simple phrases you can use when things feel tense or tender
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"Keeping the Spark Alive" Guide: A 90-day follow-up plan covering what to do weekly, what to do when you get stuck, and how to know you're moving in the right direction
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Gift Certificate Welcome Page: A beautifully designed page you can share with your partner that says, "I booked this because I want us to feel closer"
If you're looking for a gift that gives your relationship both immediate attention and lasting tools, this package is designed to deliver on both.
How to Give This as a Relationship Gift
(Surprise Your Partner or Gift It Together)
You can give this gift as a surprise for your partner or as something you decide to do together—both approaches work equally well.
Some people want to present it as a romantic gesture, a way of saying "I've been thinking about us and I want to invest in our closeness." Others prefer to have a conversation first and frame it as a mutual gift to the relationship. Neither option is better than the other. What matters most is that the intention behind it feels caring rather than critical. This isn't "I booked us therapy because something's wrong." It's "I want more of what we have."
"The way a gift like this is offered sets the tone for the whole experience. "When it comes from a place of love rather than frustration, partners tend to receive it that way too."
Here are both options for how to give it:
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As a surprise: Book the experience, then present the Gift Certificate Welcome Page to your partner—a beautifully designed message that explains what you've planned and why
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As a shared decision: Talk with your partner first, then book it together as a "gift to us" for an anniversary, birthday, holiday, or fresh start to the year
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With flexible timing: Sessions are scheduled to fit both of your calendars, so there's no pressure to start immediately
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With a personal note: Whether you surprise them or decide together, you can add your own words about why this matters to you
If you're unsure which approach would feel best, consider what would make your partner feel honored rather than put on the spot.
To get started, schedule a free consultation call below to talk through the details and find the right timing for you both.
Is This Emotional Intimacy Gift Right for Your Relationship?
This gift is right for couples who are doing okay but feel emotionally distant—and want to feel closer without waiting for a crisis to make a change.
It's not designed for relationships in serious trouble or those dealing with active betrayal, addiction, or abuse. It's for couples who still care about each other but have drifted into autopilot. Maybe you're busy, maybe you've stopped having deeper conversations, or maybe you just miss the feeling of really being known by your partner. This experience works best when both people are open to reconnecting—even if one partner is more enthusiastic about it than the other.
This gift may be a good fit if:
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You love your partner but feel more like roommates than romantic partners lately
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You want to feel closer emotionally, not just improve how you handle conflict
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You're looking for something short-term and focused rather than ongoing therapy
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One or both of you has thought, "We should really work on us"
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You'd rather invest in your relationship than exchange more stuff
If any of this sounds familiar, a short intensive focused on emotional intimacy can help you reconnect before the distance becomes harder to close.
To find out if Closer Than Ever is the right fit for your relationship, you can schedule a free consultation call below.
About Your Relationship Coach
Oliver Drakeford is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with nearly a decade of experience helping couples reconnect. Based in West Hollywood, he combines training in Gottman Method techniques and Imago Dialogue with a deeper, systems-based approach that looks at the patterns couples bring into their relationships—often without realizing it.
Oliver earned his Master's in Clinical Psychology and completed advanced training at the Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles Institute and Association for Psychoanalytic Studies. He's worked with hundreds of couples navigating distance, conflict, and the slow drift that happens when life gets busy and connection falls to the bottom of the list.
His approach is warm, direct, and practical. He helps couples understand not just what isn't working, but why—and gives them real tools to change it. Oliver offers both in-person sessions at his West Hollywood office and online sessions for couples throughout California.
More Traditional Valentine's Day Couple Gift That Might Do The Trick
If you're looking for more traditional christmas gifts or Valentine's Day romantic gifts that have a hint of romance but also attempt to create some emotional intimacy, think about these:
Letter Writing
Letters To Open when - a couple gift that is romantic in a swoon-worthy 1950's way.
I Owe You Dates
Eight Dates Book
Star Gazing Romance
Map Of The Stars - the date you met or a custom star map of your wedding date?
Music And Audio
Wedding Song Spotify Code Playlist?
Create A Savings Fun For Fun.
Our Adventure Fund Savings Box
Memories
Photo Frame - but to make the photo a special couple gift for Valentine's Day, try find a photo they've not seen for ages, something a friend from way back when has.
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.
