What Are Therapy Intensives, and Are They Right for You?
Let’s start with the obvious: life can be a lot. Maybe you’ve tried therapy before, but the once-a-week pace feels like trying to empty a swimming pool with a teaspoon. Or maybe you’ve avoided therapy altogether because the thought of digging into your struggles sounds overwhelming (Spoiler: it doesn’t have to be that way.)
Enter therapy intensives: a focused, immersive approach to healing that could be exactly what you need to move forward.
What Exactly Is a Therapy Intensive?
A therapy intensive is like regular therapy’s cooler, more efficient cousin. Instead of spreading sessions out over weeks or months, therapy intensives condense a lot of work into a short period, typically over a few days. This immersive approach gives you the time, space, and structure to tackle the tough stuff head-on without the distractions of everyday life.
Intensives are especially effective for challenges like:
Anxiety that won’t let you relax, no matter how many yoga classes you’ve tried or deep breaths you’ve taken.
Stress that makes you feel like you’re one more email away from snapping.
Trauma that keeps replaying in your mind like the world’s worst TikTok loop and leaving you with unexpected triggers that can ruin you day.
Think of it as hitting "pause" on everything else so you can give your mental health the attention it deserves. Intensives give you the chance to address those major concerns in a focused session, and allow enough time to actually finish the work you’re doing in that session instead of stopping and starting week after week when you inevitably run out of time.
How Do Therapy Intensives Work?
Here’s what you can expect:
Tailored to You: Before your intensive, we’ll connect to discuss your goals and challenges. This ensures your time is spent on what matters most to you or your main concerns.
Focused Sessions: You’ll have extended therapy sessions—sometimes several hours a day if you choose—designed to dig deep and create lasting change.
Safe Environment: Whether in person or virtual, intensives provide a supportive space to process emotions and experiences without distractions.
Tools and Techniques: I specialize in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a proven method for helping people heal from trauma. We’ll also incorporate practical coping skills and strategies to help you feel back in control moving forward.
Why Choose a Therapy Intensive?
If you’re wondering, “Why not just stick with regular therapy?”, here are some reasons intensives might be the better fit:
Faster Results: Intensives allow you to make significant progress in a shorter time. It’s like upgrading from a slow stroll to a jet ski.
Breakthrough Moments: The extended time helps us dig deeper, often uncovering insights or shifts that might take months in weekly therapy. So often in hour long sessions, we finally get moving on something and then BAM, out of time and you have to try to pause that thought, feeling or breakthrough moment and save it for next week.
Convenience: If you’re traveling to me (I’m licensed in Florida and Alabama), you can schedule an intensive over a weekend or a few days off, making it easier to fit into your life. Also, no more taking a day off every week for therapy, or using your precious lunch break to meet virtually because that’s the only time you can find. Keep your lunch break, let’s meet for a few hours and knock out a ton of work instead.
Focus: Without the interruptions of everyday life, you can fully immerse yourself in the healing process. So many clients come in before work, on a lunch break or right before going home to take care of their family. Because those things are on their mind, their attention is half with me in therapy and half on that next task. Intensives give you the time and space to stay just with me in therapy and get to a good place before going back to day-to-day life stuff. No more having to wrap sessions up in a not-so-fun place and then plaster on a smile for the job or family stuff that’s next.
FAQs About Therapy Intensives
1. Will it be too overwhelming? Not at all! The pace is designed to be manageable. We’ll take breaks and go at a speed that feels safe for you.
2. Do I have to relive my trauma? No. EMDR doesn’t require you to rehash every painful detail. Instead, it helps your brain process and reframe those experiences in a way that feels less distressing. Learn more on EMDR HERE.
3. Are therapy intensives expensive? They’re an investment, but one that can save you time and money in the long run. Think of it as prioritizing your mental health with the same care you’d give any other important area of your life. You’ll end up spending more in the long run by dragging this work out over weekly sessions for the next several months or years. Check out my packages HERE.
4. What if I’m already in therapy? Great! Therapy intensives can complement the work you’re doing with your current therapist. After the intensive, you can continue processing and integrating with them. I work adjunctly with other therapist often. Learn more about adjunct therapy HERE.
5. Can I do this virtually? Absolutely! As long as you’re in Florida or Alabama (or willing to travel here), we can make it happen and we will work together to create an environment that is comfortable and safe for you during you intensive.
Is a Therapy Intensive Right for You?
If you’re ready to stop feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or weighed down by the past, a therapy intensive could be the fresh start you need. While healing takes effort, therapy intensives offer a focused and transformative way to make meaningful progress in a shorter time.
Let’s Talk!
If this sounds like the solution you’ve been looking for, I’d love to connect. Schedule a free 15 minute consultation call today, and let’s explore whether a therapy intensive is right for you. I specialize in trauma therapy and am licensed in Florida and Alabama. Whether you’re local or willing to travel, I’m here to help you take that next step toward healing.
Life doesn’t have to feel this hard. Let’s make it lighter—together.
