What is an Intensive?

A therapy intensive is a highly focused therapy session with an extended length; sessions can last upto three hours, and you may have several sessions over consecutive days.

This expanded structure allows for a therapy experience that can feel like a luxurious personal retreat, characterized by deep processing and profound healing.

Because an intensive involves such abundant time to focus on your chosen issues, you never have to feel rushed; there’s no need to watch the clock and try to wrap things up before the 50-minute mark like in traditional therapy.

Intensives are like a psychotherapeutic spa day & personal mental health retreat

An Intensive can treat:

Any clinical issue can be suitable for a therapy intensive, but at Smart Therapy, I focus on:

  • Anxiety
  • OCD
  • Phobias
  • Panic attacks
  • Stress & burnout
  • Depression
  • Low self-esteem
  • Inner child healing
  • Childhood trauma
  • Relational or attachment trauma
  • Addiction or substance abuse
  • Family difficulties
  • Anger
  • Assertiveness & personal boundaries
  • Body image
  • Emotional dysregulation & self-soothing challenges
  • Performance-related concerns (athletic, creative, etc.)

Intensives have unique advantages:

These advantages include:

  • Ease of scheduling
    • No need to carve time out of your schedule every week
  • A relaxed feel
    • Never feeling rushed by the constraints of a 50-minute session
  • Fewer distractions
    • No need to address issues that come up during the week, that ultimately cut into time spent focusing on your most important treatment goals
  • Cost effective treatment          
  • You can accomplish in days what could take months of weekly sessions in traditional therapy, which saves you money in the long-run  

In therapy, you get out of the experience what you put into it; the concentrated focus and dedicated time of a therapy intensive can lead to tremendous results. Learn more here about the benefits of therapy intensives.

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Who Are Therapy Intensives For?

Therapy intensives are designed for people who are ready for significant change and want to immerse themselves in the therapeutic process. This format works well if you:

  • Feel like traditional weekly therapy is too slow for the urgency or depth of what you’re going through.

  • Have a specific issue or life event you want to process deeply, without waiting weeks or months for resolution.

  • Have a busy or unpredictable schedule that makes weekly sessions hard to commit to.

  • Are traveling from outside the local area and want to make the most of your time with a therapist.

  • Have already done therapy before but want to revisit certain themes, complete unfinished emotional work, or move through a current challenge more quickly.

Intensives can be particularly helpful during periods of transition (such as after a breakup, career change, or loss), or when you’re at a turning point in your healing journey and want the time and space to go all-in.

Learn More About Therapy Intensives in My Blog Series

If you’re curious about therapy intensives and want to explore the topic in more depth before booking, I’ve written a series of blogs that answer common questions and give you a clearer sense of what to expect. These articles expand on the benefits, process, and unique advantages of intensives, helping you decide whether this approach is the right fit for your needs.

These blogs are a great next step if you want to gain a richer understanding of how intensives work and envision what your own experience could look like.

 

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Rebecca Steele

PO Box 40074, Waterloo Square PO
Waterloo, ON
N2J 4V1

8559083524

rebecca@smart-therapy.ca

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