EMDR Intensive Therapy In-person in Toronto & Online in Ontario

It is this ‘deep healing space’ that is often needed to create real change for people.

Imagine the space and time to get in a flow state with your therapist, for the purpose of healing...This is what happens in a therapy intensive.

What is EMDR Intensive Therapy?

Instead of weekly hour sessions (where you just start to get to the ‘deep healing’ by the time the session is almost done), an intensive approach allows for more time in the ‘deep healing space’ of the therapeutic process. It is this ‘deep healing space’ that is often needed to create real change for people. It allows us to get at the core of what needs to be addressed in order for you to achieve lasting transformation, at a pace that works for you, but that gets you there faster.

My intensive EMDR therapy program is a personalized plan that allows you fast access to support in a condensed format. It is like a ‘fastpass’ to healing, bypassing long waitlists and having to cope with your difficulties while you attend weekly therapy; instead you get in quickly, do the necessary work, and move forward with your life.

I primarily use EMDR, but also weave in other evidence-based modalities with creativity and a focus on what works for YOU, what resonates for you, and what is going to help you get unstuck and move forward with your goals.

Intensive EMDR therapy is an efficient and effective way to feel better faster.

Who is it for?

If any of this sounds familiar, then an EMDR Intensive could be a great option for you:

  • I have a great therapist and we have done some great work, but I’m feeling stuck in one aspect/area of my life.

  • I experienced a recent traumatic, stressful or overwhelming event and want to process it so that I can move on from it.

  • I have done lots of great healing work on my own but feel like it’s time to get support and take the work deeper.

  • I have a specific pattern or behaviour that I just can’t figure out how to change.

  • I have specific triggers that I just can’t get over, despite so much effort they are still impacting me and my family.

  • I am burnout and need to feel better ASAP.

Intensive Therapy is more efficient and cost-effective than weekly therapy…

WEEKLY THERAPY TYPICALLY INVOLVES

  • A 50-minute session

  • 5-15 minutes checking-in

  • 20-30 minutes of EMDR therapy/deep healing work

  • 5-15 minutes of wrapping up, grounding, debriefing.

These means that 8 sessions of weekly therapy often involves about 160-240 minutes of EMDR thereapy/deep healing (and costs $1,680)

However, let’s be real. Things come up between sessions that often end up taking over sessions and it can feel like weeks go by with sessions that are taken up with the ‘issue of the week’. While this can still be valuable and important, it sometimes doesn’t help you get to the ‘heart of the healing’ that you are looking for.

INTENSIVE THERAPY TYPICALLY INVOLVES

  • 120-240 minute sessions (2-4 hours)

  • 5-15 minutes of checking-in

  • 90-220 minutes of EMDR therapy/deep healing work

  • 10-15 minutes of wrapping up, grounding, debriefing

This means that in a 4 hour intensive session, you can often achieve the same as 8 weeks of 50-minute therapy sessions (a 4-hour intensive costs $900).

You feel better, sooner. You don’t have to keep finding time in your busy schedule to make it to therapy. You save money overall.

Here’s what we’ll do together.

How does EMDR Intensive Therapy work?

  • Decide the Intensive Structure: Based on schedules, availability and preference, we decide together what intensive structure makes sense. Generally we would meet for 2-4 hours on consecutive days or weekly for a number of weeks.

  • Intake session/pre-intensive interview: In this 90-minute session, we will dive more into where you are at now and where you want to get to. relative to the goal we are going to work on. We will then map together how to make this happen. We make sure that you have a great foundation (support system, tools/strategies to handle big emotion, good rapport between us, thorough and shared understanding of the challenge we are working on, knowledge of your own psyche, etc.), and then we get ready to dive deep!

  • Get to the Healing: In each intensive session, we will give lots of time and space for the process to go where it needs to go, while staying focused on your goal. We will work through the past material that we identify together that needs healing in order to move through where you are feeling stuck.

My intensives are designed to support your preferred schedule and timeline for your treatment goals. This means for example, that we could work weekly for 2 hours for a number of weeks, or once for 3 hours, or any combination thereof!

The process is:

  • Schedule a free 20-minute consult: See if an Intensive might be a good fit for you and your goals. We will likely talk about what specific goal you have, what you have tried so far to work on this goal, what has gotten in the way of getting there, and what has worked well and helped.

  • Complete some assessments: I will send you some assessments relevant to you and the issues you are coming with to help me start to get a sense of you, the issues, and where/how you are stuck. This is also a great way for you to get a ‘before’ snapshot and to track your progress. It also helps us to complete more work outside of the intensive and clarify the goal for the intensive.

An Intensive is NOT for you if…

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You are looking for weekly support

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You are looking for support that is more ‘checking in’ and talking through your week

✗

You cannot commit to a chunk of time to do an intensive

✗

You prefer a slower pace for your healing

An Intensive IS for you if…

You are looking to heal faster

✓
✓
✓
✓

If you feel ready to go deeper in your healing

Can put aside a chunk of time to do an intensive

You have been in therapy for a long time and are still feeling stuck

Outcomes

What can I expect?

There are of course no guarantees of what we will accomplish, as everyone’s intensive experience is different. What you can expect is that I will bring my ‘A’ game, and I suspect you will too. It is this commitment to change and the time to get into a flow state together that is often the secret sauce to finally achieving the big shifts that often occur during intensive therapy.

  • Increased clarity:
    Gain a deeper understanding of your triggers, patterns, and coping mechanisms.

  • Improved sense of self:

    Reconnect with parts of yourself that felt lost or that you never knew were there. Clients report feeling stronger and more confident.

  • Greater sense of empowerment:
    Rediscover your inner strength and resilience to navigate life’s challenges.

  • Lasting emotional healing:
    Heal past wounds and cultivate a sense of peace and acceptance within yourself.

We may not shift things completely in one intensive, but most folks report some significant shift or ‘aha’ experience that helps them see themselves, their life, and the issue they came in for differently.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions about therapy intensives

  • Research suggests that an intensive model can be an equally or more effective AND economical approach to delivering trauma-focused therapy. You can learn more here and here.


  • My fee for intensive therapy is an hourly fee of $225. This includes scoring your assessments, and developing an individualized workbook and handouts for you. See the question below for a breakdown of the overall schedule possibilities.

  • There are 2 main options for Intensives:

    Option 1 - Intensive Weekly Sessions:

    • 90-minute intake session

    • Customized workbook and assessments

    • 6 weeks of 2-hour sessions (12 hours)

    • 90-minute debrief/wrap-up session

    • Total of 15 hours of face-to-face

    • Total Investment: $3375

     

    Option 2 - Multi-Day Intensive Sessions 

    • 90-minute intake session

    • Customized workbook and assessments

    • 3 days of 4-hour sessions (12 hours)

    • 90-minute Debrief/Wrap-up session

    • Total of 15 hours face-to-face

    • Total Investment: $3375

    If these structures don't work for you then reach out and I can see what I can make work.

    • Burnout

    • Single-incident traumatic experience

    • A specific pattern of reacting/behaving

    • Betrayal Trauma

    • A Break-up/Divorce

    • Chronic Pain Symptoms

    • Childhood Trauma/Attachment difficulties

    Some of the above issues may not resolve within one Therapy Intensive, especially for folks who have complex trauma. However, most folks can benefit and make some significant progress towards their overall therapy goal.

  • I offer the weekly intensive model (2 hours weekly) in-person or virtually. The multi-day intensive (4 hours over 3 days) is a retreat-like experience and I currently offer it in-person only.

discover your inner zest for life.

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discover your inner zest for life. —