An intensive therapy retreat for when weekly work is no longer enough.
Intensive Therapy Retreat · Andalusia, Spain

An intensive therapy retreat for when weekly work is no longer enough.

Five days of psychotherapist-led residential work in the mountains of Andalusia, built for depth rather than escape.

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Six people maximum · Near Málaga, Spain · €9,500 all-inclusive

Intensive psychotherapy

Not more therapy. A different way of doing the work.

Conventional therapy usually has a rhythm. You spend an hour in the room, something opens, and then you return immediately to ordinary life. Work continues. Phones ring. Responsibilities resume. By the following week, much of what surfaced has already been absorbed back into the same environment.

The Ridge works differently. You step outside that environment for five continuous days of residential psychotherapy, with Simon Hitchcock leading the therapeutic work throughout.

The purpose is not to promise that five days replaces months or years of therapy. It is to create enough continuity, attention and distance from ordinary life to work differently. What emerges on Monday does not have to wait until the following week. It can be followed on Tuesday, challenged on Wednesday and integrated before you leave.

WHY INTENSIVE WORK

Five days creates a different kind of therapeutic space.

The value of intensive work is not simply that there are more hours of therapy. It is what becomes possible when the work is allowed to continue.

At The Ridge, something that emerges in an individual session can be explored again later that day, observed in a different setting and returned to the following morning. Simon remains present throughout the programme, so the work does not repeatedly stop and restart.

The wider programme supports that process. Group work, behavioural observation, breathwork, cold exposure, horses, wilderness and physical challenge may be used where they are therapeutically relevant. They are not activities added around the therapy. They give Simon different ways of seeing how a person responds when familiar patterns are placed under pressure.

The programme therefore develops around what is actually happening in the room and across the five days, rather than forcing every participant through the same predetermined timetable.

Explore the Five-Day Programme
Therapy retreat or wellness retreat

This is not a wellness retreat.

Both can involve leaving ordinary life for several days. That is where the similarity largely ends. The Ridge is built around psychotherapy and therapeutic depth rather than relaxation, general wellbeing or temporary escape.

A wellness retreat

Rest and relaxation

General wellbeing

Shared activities

A break from routine

Time away from work and ordinary life

The Ridge Intensive

Individual psychotherapy with Simon

Group integration

Responsive specialist work

Behavioural, equine, breathwork and wilderness elements where useful

A written synthesis and ninety-day plan

Ninety days of direct follow-up with Simon

Intensive Therapy Retreat in Spain
The setting

The Ridge is based in the Andalusian landscape near Málaga in southern Spain. The therapeutic work, accommodation, meals, free time and rest all take place within the same setting.

The location matters because the programme is designed around continuity. You do not finish a difficult session and immediately return to an office, commute or family routine. There is space for what has surfaced to remain present.

Málaga Airport also makes The Ridge accessible for people travelling from the UK, across Europe and internationally, with airport transfers included on the agreed arrival and departure days.

The next scheduled Ridge Intensive runs from 21–25 September 2026, with future programme dates published as they are confirmed.

Practical details

What the five days include.

Location Near Pizarra, Málaga, Spain
Programme duration Five days
Arrival Saturday or Sunday by arrangement
Accommodation Included
Meals Included
Airport transfers Included from Málaga on agreed arrival and departure days
Group size Six people maximum
Investment €9,500 per person, all-inclusive
Follow-up Written synthesis, ninety-day plan and 90 days of direct support with Simon
Further information

Common questions.

What is an intensive therapy retreat?
An intensive therapy retreat brings therapeutic work together over a concentrated residential period rather than separating sessions by a week or more. At The Ridge, participants spend five continuous days working with Simon Hitchcock and the wider specialist team in Andalusia.
How is an intensive therapy retreat different from weekly therapy?
Weekly therapy creates space between sessions. Intensive work creates continuity. At The Ridge, what emerges during one session can be followed and integrated across the following days rather than being interrupted by a return to normal routine.
Is The Ridge a wellness retreat?
No. The Ridge is a psychotherapist-led residential intensive. Rest, accommodation and the setting matter, but the purpose of the five days is therapeutic work rather than general wellbeing, relaxation or a wellness break.
Where in Spain does the intensive take place?
The Ridge is based near Pizarra in Málaga, Andalusia, around 40 minutes from Málaga Airport.
Can I travel from the UK for the programme?
Yes. The programme is designed for people travelling to The Ridge, including from the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Airport transfers from Málaga are included on agreed arrival and departure days.
Do I need a diagnosis or referral?
No referral is required. Suitability is established through a ninety-minute online assessment with Simon before participation is confirmed.
What is included in the €9,500 fee?
The fee includes the pre-arrival assessment, five-day programme, accommodation, meals, airport transfers, written leaving document, ninety-day plan and ninety days of direct follow-up with Simon.
What happens after I return home?
Within a week of leaving, you receive a written synthesis and ninety-day plan. Direct integration support with Simon continues for ninety days after the programme.
Start with a conversation

The first step is working out whether this is the right kind of work for you.

Every enquiry is reviewed personally by Simon. If you are not ready to start a conversation, the short assessment can help you recognise some of the patterns that may be worth exploring first.

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