Answers To Questions About EMDR Intensives

This is a new model for doing therapy and it's normal to have questions about it. One thing I find helpful to remind folks is that there is nothing inherently “special” about the weekly therapy model. Someone just made that up! But that is not the only way or even the best way, in some cases, to get your healing work done.

Intensive therapy might be right for you if:

• You are highly motivated.
• You have a busy life or career that makes regular, weekly therapy appointments challenging to schedule.
• You’ve tried weekly therapy and found it hard to gain momentum.
• You’re currently working with a therapist who tells you that you might benefit from more intensive therapy or EMDR.
• You relate to the idea of “ripping off the bandaid” vs peeling it off slowly. You need relief faster than weekly therapy can provide.
• You have learned many coping skills and are ready now to do what it takes to achieve healing.

It’s totally normal to be nervous about doing an intensive. It can be difficult to have faith that an EMDR intensive therapy will bring you relief especially when other types of therapy have not resolved your issues. The fear around trying something new can feel overwhelming. Taking steps to seek help for the challenges we face is a huge step. It takes courage to realize we can’t heal through talk therapy alone or by ourselves.

My office is a space where you can be yourself and come just as you are, including feeling nervous. I’m committed to finding a way to care for your fears and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.

I’m here if you want to talk about it during a free phone consultation.

Take your time to read through my website. If you sense that I may be a good fit based on what you are reading, you can email me and we can set up a time to talk.

With a free phone consultation, you can ask me about how I have helped other people like you before or any other questions you may have that are specific to you. You’ll also be able to share what’s going on for you and we can decide together how I can help.

When we meet, you’ll be able to see how you feel working with me. Part of my expertise in trauma is also evaluating whether I think I can help. I will be honest with you about this. My approach is not going to work for everyone. It’s important you find someone who you feel is the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

If something feels overwhelming or even terrifying to discuss, that's actually very normal. It can often feel difficult to talk about some things. During our sessions, you never have to talk about something you’re not comfortable talking about. It’s my job to give you space to slowly start to work through the tough stuff. Gradually and at a pace that feels comfortable to you, you can share what you feel ready to share.

You can also share with me that you are nervous to open up about something and we can talk about that too. I only want you to tell me what you want me to know. Because of the way trauma processing works, you can actually heal from difficult memories without ever telling me about them!

If you open up to me, I will not think you are crazy, I will think you are courageous and human. Many of my clients have had the same fear (that people would think they are crazy).

I know that what you are going through is common through the many years of working with people like you.

You have nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing you can say will cause me to judge you.

I know we all struggle, we may have gone through very hard times, we may have normal reactions to abnormally challenging experiences.

Whatever it is you're going through, I provide a calming space where I respect you and listen with focus and compassion.

It can be concerning feeling like things you say or do in therapy could "get out." So I want you to know that unless there is an imminent danger to yourself, someone else, legal involvement, or current harm to a child or elder, everything you share with me is confidential. I am very judicious in my note taking and limit details.

There is nothing more important than your privacy.

You can rest assured that you can talk about anything without fear of that information getting out.

If you have specific questions about how confidentiality works, you can ask during your free phone consultation or anytime during our work together.

You might be asking about how long therapy will take because you are currently struggling and want relief fast.

If this is true for you, I want you to know that on average, my new clients start seeing progress after the first few hours of their intensive.

The total duration of an intensive varies from client to client. Some of my clients find a few days is enough to achieve healing. For some, a week or two get them to their goals. While other clients feel more supported by longer-term therapy.

We will work together to find the length of time that works for you.

Overall, you can think of the first session as a structured assessment that helps me get to know you and the challenges that brought you into treatment. I’ll invite you to share more about yourself and we can also talk about what’s worked or not worked for your mental health in the past.

Some questions that I like to ask during a first session include:

• Have you gone to therapy before? How did that go?
• What goals would you like to reach by doing an intensive?
• What do I need to know about you to understand your current challenges?

You can ask me questions as well. You might be curious about my expertise and what to expect during an intensive with me.

The most important part of a first session is that you see if you feel I’m a good fit for you. If you feel safe, accepted, and comfortable with me, we can discuss if you’d like to meet again.

I'm here to talk during a free phone consultation where you can share what’s going on for you and we can decide together how I can help.

Email me today to get your free phone consultation at [email protected].