Intensives

Intensive therapy sessions go above and beyond your typical 50-60 minute therapy session.  An Intensive is 3 hours long and allows the client to delve into and process past events with extra time before and after the trauma reprocessing to regulate.  It can take a lot of courage and working through anxiety to prepare to do trauma work, and sometimes by the time a client has done that work in session, the session is over and then we start all over the next week.  Think of them like a mini mental health retreat that gives you the opportunity to really lean into processing and healing.

Generally, a Therapy Intensive can condense your treatment into a shorter time frame because you are not spending 5-10 minutes checking in at the beginning of each session, addressing new concerns that have come up between sessions, and then another 5-10 minutes regulating at the end of a session. These elongated sessions can be helpful for addressing trauma as they allow you and your therapist to cover more content, dig deeper, and allow you to have adequate time to regulate before you leave session.

Intensives typically allow clients to go deeper faster. They can be beneficial for a variety of reasons:

• You are worried that if you open your Pandora’s box of trauma it will be really hard to close it in a 50-60 minute session. The idea of having more time to process in one sitting feels less overwhelming.
• You’ve been in therapy a long time and feel stuck due to a past trauma and would like to focus on this past experience so you can move forward in treatment.
• You already have a therapist that you love, however they are not trained in EMDR or Art Therapy, and you want to weave those modalities into your mental health treatment.
• There is no weekly committment when doing an intensive, and that flexiblitiy works with your needs.
• Intensives can be less expensive than ongoing therapy as they tend to go deeper faster.

When we experience trauma our whole system is impacted. Our body holds the trauma, and often reacts to sounds, smells, images, etc., as if it was back in the time when the trauma occurred. 

Both EMDR and Art Therapy incorporate body-based, somatic healing. We use our bodies to make art, and we use our bodies when we engage in bilateral stimulation with EMDR (eye movements, tapping, etc.)

After years of training in Art Therapy, and a specialized EMDR protocol that incorporates art, Emily has built a unique and transformative intensive that supports clients in processing their trauma.

• Settling In
• Preparation/psycho-education
• Meditation and Mindfulness
• EMDR exercise that incorporates art
• Processing
• Meditation
• Art Therapy intervention specifically selected for your needs
• Art Therapy processing 
• Closing

Think about how you feel after an intense workout – your muscles feel sore and you may feel fatigued.  Maybe you have exercised muscles you haven’t used in a long time. You may need more rest and water.  An intensive may have you feeling emotionally worn out at the end as you may be going places that you have bottled up, but like how a physical workout helps your build muscles, an intensive can help you build emotional resilience and distress tolerance.

• We recommend treating your intensive like an emotional yoga retreat/spa day.
• Wear comfortable clothes
• Stay hydrated
• Bring snacks for your break
• Prepare to feel raw afterwards and have a self-care plan in place for when you go home.  
• Take the day off

Intensives are offerred both in-person at The Artful Healing Center's office in Newhall, CA, or virtually.  While we do recommend in-person, we understand that there are also many benefits of telehealth.  Please note that you must be in the state of CA in order to participate in a virtual intensive. 

$250 for a 90 minute Initial Assessment (held prior to the Intensive)

$200 per hour for 3 hours, includes two 10-minute breaks

Total financial commitment is: $850

For Clients already working with The Artful Healing Center:

30 minute Initial Assessment 

3 hour Intensive, includes two 10-minute breaks

Total financial commitment is: $650

Will my insurance cover an Intensive?

Insurance companies have historically not covered sessions that are longer in length. That said, if you are hoping to use insurance benefits (in-network or out-of-network), you can still sometimes get a portion of the Intensive covered/reimbursed if you have a PPO. Please feel free to reach out if you have specific questions about your insurance and coverage.