Therapy doesn’t have to happen one hour at a time.
A therapy intensive is an alternative to traditional weekly or biweekly therapy. Instead of meeting for 50 minutes at a time over several weeks or months, we dedicate a longer, uninterrupted block of time to exploring one particular issue in depth.
My therapy intensives include a 90-minute intake and planning session, personalized pre-work, a three-hour virtual therapy session, and a 60-minute follow-up. The entire experience is tailored to you and what you’re hoping to work on.
Some therapeutic work benefits from uninterrupted time. Some people do, too.
Maybe you’ve been struggling with the same issue for months, thinking about it, talking to friends, reading books, or trying to figure it out on your own. Or perhaps you’re ready to explore something in therapy, but committing to weekly appointments doesn’t work with your life right now.
A therapy intensive gives us the opportunity to really get into the work, without automatically having to press pause after 50 minutes.
Is a therapy intensive right for you?
A therapy intensive might be a good fit if:
- You have a specific issue you’d like to explore in depth.
- You’ve been going around in circles with the same problem and want a different perspective.
- You’re motivated,and open to challenging some of your existing beliefs or ways of thinking.
- You like the idea of dedicating a significant block of time to yourself.
- Your schedule makes regular therapy appointments difficult.
What can we work on?
Therapy intensives are designed around one particular issue you’d like to explore. Some examples include:
Processing a layoff
Making sense of the emotional impact of losing your job, including grief, confidence, identity, and uncertainty about what comes next.
Navigating a difficult boss or workplace relationship
Understanding what’s happening in the relationship, why it’s affecting you the way it is, and how you want to respond.
Feeling lost in your career or identity
Exploring who you are outside of work, what matters to you, and what you want more of in your life.
Managing conflict with colleagues
Exploring the dynamics behind workplace conflict, understanding your own reactions and those of others, and finding more effective ways to navigate difficult interactions.
Surviving a job you don’t like
Working through the reality of being in a job you can’t or don’t want to leave right now, without allowing it to consume your wellbeing.
Burnout, perfectionism, or people-pleasing
Understanding the beliefs and patterns that may be contributing to your distress and exploring what might need to change.
Why choose a therapy intensive?
Weekly therapy is a great fit for many people. But it isn’t the only way meaningful therapy can happen. In traditional therapy, we might spend part of a session catching up on what’s happened since we last met, only to arrive at something important just as our time is running out.
With a therapy intensive, we have the opportunity to stay with an issue for longer. If something important emerges, we don’t necessarily have to stop there. We can explore it further, process the emotions that come with it, challenge beliefs that might be contributing to it, or begin working on practical ways to approach things differently.
Some people also simply prefer working this way. They like preparing in advance, dedicating a significant block of time to themselves, and really getting into the work. And for people with demanding or unpredictable schedules, setting aside one morning or afternoon may be more realistic than committing to ongoing weekly appointments.
The goal isn’t to squeeze months of therapy into one afternoon or promise a quick fix. It’s to create the time and space to do meaningful work without having to press pause after 50 minutes.
How does a therapy intensive work?
Your intensive is a comprehensive process that includes preparation, dedicated therapeutic work, and follow-up.
1. Free 30-minute consultation
We’ll start with a conversation about what brings you in, what you’re hoping to get out of therapy, and whether an intensive seems like an appropriate fit.
2. 90-minute intake and planning session
We schedule this a few weeks before your three hour intensive. In this session, we’ll explore your history, experiences, and current challenges, and work together to identify a clear focus for the intensive.
3. Personalized pre-work
Based on our intake, I’ll prepare reflection exercises or other materials tailored to your situation so you can begin thinking about the work before we meet.
4. Three-hour virtual therapy intensive
This is our opportunity to take a deep dive. We’ll explore the issue together, using therapeutic approaches that make sense for you and what emerges during our conversation. The session will be structured but flexible, with room for breaks, reflection, and adjusting our approach as needed.
5. 60-minute follow-up session
Approximately one week later, we’ll meet to reflect on the experience, discuss what’s come up since the intensive, and explore how you’re integrating what we’ve worked on. We’ll also discuss whether additional support might be helpful.
What can you expect to take away?
I can’t promise that we’ll solve everything in one afternoon. Therapy doesn’t work that way, and some issues take time to process and work through.
What I hope is that you’ll leave with a better understanding of yourself and the issue you’ve been struggling with. That might mean seeing something from a new perspective, recognizing a pattern you hadn’t noticed before, processing emotions you’ve been carrying, or identifying some meaningful next steps.
Sometimes the work leads to a significant realization. Other times, it’s about making sense of something complicated and beginning to relate to it differently.
Either way, the goal is to make our time together meaningful, relevant, and useful to you.
Frequently asked questions
No. If you’re experiencing significant distress that requires ongoing support, navigating a crisis, or would benefit from developing a therapeutic relationship gradually over time, traditional weekly or biweekly therapy may be a better option. We’ll discuss whether the intensive format makes sense for you during our consultation.
Yes. Therapy intensives are virtual, using a secure video platform.
Therapy intensives start at $1,680. Intensives are offered as a comprehensive package that includes a 90 minute intake session, a three hour intensive session, personalized pre-work, and a 60 minute follow-up session.
Coverage depends on your individual insurance plan. Some extended health plans provide reimbursement for psychotherapy services delivered by a Registered Psychotherapist. I recommend checking directly with your insurer about eligibility, coverage limits, and how intensive sessions are reimbursed.
Absolutely. Some people may find that an intensive addresses what they wanted to focus on, while others may benefit from additional sessions or ongoing therapy. We can discuss what makes sense for you.