When we think of outpatient therapy, we often envision one-hour, weekly sessions on an ongoing basis as standard practice. While this method of therapy is effective, there are alternatives that can sometimes offer faster results, or opportunities for deeper work. Intensives are longer therapy sessions over a shorter period of time. The extended session lengths, which can range from several hours to multiple days in length, offer a safe and contained space for individuals to engage with their trauma and explore the associated emotions and memories.
In weekly sessions, there is a natural warming up, checking-in, and cooling down process that happens each session which limits the amount of time available for trauma processing. In a focused 4-hour intensive, we might be able to realistically accomplish what would take 6-10 weeks of weekly hour sessions. While this requires a larger investment of time and money up front, it also means you can receive treatment quicker and save money in the long run.
What can it look like?
Intensives can be designed around the client’s availability and preferences, but here are some common structures:
- Several half-day (3-4 hour) sessions over the course of a few months
- Full-day (7-8 hour) sessions over a few days or weeks
- Multi-day Intensive with shorter preparation and integration sessions before/after
- Two-hour sessions weekly for shorter overall duration
The concentrated nature of intensives provides an opportunity for clients to experience transformative breakthroughs without being slowed down or interrupted by the end of the hour session. Through the extended sessions, clients can establish a heightened sense of safety and trust with their therapist, allowing for a more continuous and naturally paced exploration of their trauma.
Prior to starting an intensive session, we will schedule an hour-long session to further assess level of care and appropriateness for this style of therapy.
Intensives are often helpful for:
- Professionals who have periods of down-time
- Those who are traveling from out of state for treatment
- Students who are home for summer-break
- Individuals who haven’t made the progress they would like to see with weekly-sessions
- Those wanting faster relief
Modalities
Intensives are specifically designed to allow individuals the opportunity to do deeper work, which often centers around trauma-processing. All of our modalities are effective in treating trauma, therefor all of our modalities can be integrated into intensive sessions. Some of these modalities include:
- EMDR
- Psychodrama
- Internal Family Systems
- Expressive Arts Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples
How much does it cost?
Our practice bills by the hour for all offerings. Whether you are coming for an hour-long session, or a half-day intensive, the hourly cost remains the same.
Therapists that Offer Intensives
We have several therapists on our team that offer intensives. Our availability for intensives varies, as it often requires your preferred therapist to have blocks of time available in their schedule. If you are interested in our intensives, we recommend scheduling an intake call to discuss our current options/availability.
