Psychotherapy Intensives: A Safe Experiential Container
I began offering psychotherapy intensives out of both professional experience and personal necessity. After more than a decade as a therapist, I have worked with people who give everything to their work, their families, and their communities, and still feel like it is never enough. I also know the other side of this equation: the weight of compassion fatigue, the frustration of red tape, and the fear that I could not possibly take on one more client or one more continuing education lecture.
My partner’s life-altering burnout, which ultimately led them to change residencies and start over, and my own moments of questioning how to sustain myself in this work, showed me the need for something different. What many of us require is not more of the same, but a different rhythm. I adapted the intensive model of psychotherapy to fit the unique needs of the population I serve. This structure offers a safe, attuned, and contained space where meaningful integration can take place.
What Are Psychotherapy Intensives?
Psychotherapy intensives are extended, focused therapy sessions delivered over several days. Instead of spreading the work out in weekly 50-minute increments, you immerse yourself in longer sessions across three to five days. This allows you to stay with your process, move past unconscious defences, and gain clarity in a shorter period of time.
Research supports the effectiveness of this model. A randomized controlled trial found that intensive cognitive therapy for PTSD delivered over one week produced faster symptom reduction and comparable outcomes to weekly therapy spread over three months (Ehlers et al., 2014). Another study of an intensive outpatient program combining EMDR and exposure therapy reported that one month post-treatment, 70% of participants no longer met criteria for PTSD, with large reductions in symptom severity and minimal dropout (Rentinck et al., 2025). Similarly, research on brief, trauma-focused intensive programs shows that clients often achieve results more quickly and with better adherence compared to traditional weekly formats (Strijk et al., 2025).
Building on Emotionally Focused Therapy
The intensive format is not new. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), developed by Dr. Sue Johnson, has offered couples intensives for many years. EFT is a research-backed, attachment-based model that helps couples move through cycles of conflict, rebuild safety, and strengthen bonds. Studies show that EFT significantly improves relationship satisfaction and attachment security (Johnson, 2004; Johnson et al., 2013).
I have adapted this intensive approach for both individuals and couples, weaving in relational, psychodynamic, somatic, and trauma-informed practices. These immersive sessions create space for regulation and integration.
How It Works
Every intensive begins with a 90-minute intake and assessment, where we take the time to understand your internal-emotional problem and your goals. Together, we create a personalized plan that feels safe and attuned to your needs.
From there, you move into 10 hours of therapy across three to five days. This may include relational and psychodynamic work, trauma-informed approaches, Brainspotting, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation. The process is designed to provide both depth and support.
After the intensive, you continue with structured follow-up sessions throughout the year, along with a personalized treatment roadmap and resources to help anchor what you discovered into your daily life. Because we built a relationship in our comfy container and it doesn’t have to end there.
In addition to the psychotherapy intensive short-term model, I also offer a Nervous System Regulation Intensive, a shorter format that uses experiential tools to help you attune to your window of tolerance and increase your capacity for traditional talk therapy. This model focuses on building safety and security in the body, giving you greater access to integration.
Who They Are For
Psychotherapy intensives are especially valuable for people who feel stuck in repetitive cycles of rumination or self-doubt, or for those who tend to overanalyze but struggle to connect with their emotions. They are also well suited for individuals who lose momentum between weekly sessions and want a more immersive approach, as well as high performers and professionals who prefer focused time for growth without adding another weekly obligation.
Many people seek intensives during major life transitions, such as grief, trauma, burnout, or career change. Others choose them during periods of stress or while on sick leave, using that time as a meaningful reset. Intensives are designed for people who are ready to do the work and want to experience integration and progress within a safe, structured container.
Why Intensives?
I offer intensives because I believe in expanding the field of psychotherapy and adapting models to better meet people where they are. Those who come to me for this kind of work are often the ones who give the most to others: doctors, therapists, parents, caregivers, and leaders. Eventually, they reach a point where they need more than another hour squeezed into an already overfilled week.
Psychotherapy intensives provide that alternative: a safe experiential container where you can pause, reconnect, and remember that your inner world matters too. At Clinic Altera, I lead a team of multidisciplinary, trauma-informed professionals committed to supporting integration in a way that is both possible and sustainable.
References:
Ehlers, A., Hackmann, A., Grey, N., Wild, J., Liness, S., Albert, I., Deale, A., Stott, R., & Clark, D. M. (2014). A Randomized Controlled Trial of 7-Day Intensive and Standard Weekly Cognitive Therapy for PTSD and Emotion-Focused Supportive Therapy. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), 294. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13040552
Rentinck EM, van Mourik R, de Jongh A, Matthijssen SJMA. (2025). Effectiveness of an intensive outpatient treatment programme combining prolonged exposure and EMDR therapy for adolescents and young adults with PTSD. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 16(1), 2451478. doi:10.1080/20008066.2025.2451478
Strijk, P., Nijdam, M., Klaassens, E., Bedawi, V., de la Rie, S., & Jongedijk, R. (2025). Feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a highly intensive inpatient treatment programme with narrative exposure therapy for patients with PTSD. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1516144
Johnson, S. M. (2004). The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connection. Routledge.
Johnson, S. M., Hunsley, J., Greenberg, L., & Schindler, D. (2013). Emotionally Focused Therapy: Current status. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25(3), 231–247.