What Are Intensives?
Intensives are a powerful alternative to the traditional model of weekly therapy. Rather than meeting for 50-minute sessions over many months, an intensive offers concentrated, in-depth therapy over one, two, or three consecutive days. This extended time together creates the space for deep exploration, transformational insight, and practical change that simply isn’t possible in shorter sessions. The framework of intensives facilitates more lasting and meaningful change because we can work live in the moment with the setbacks and relational dynamics that otherwise occur between weekly therapy sessions.
Who are intensives for?
Intensives are designed for individuals or couples who want to dive deeply into therapeutic work without the limitations of weekly sessions. You might choose an intensive if:
- You’re in crisis, either personally or in your relationship, and need focused support
- You feel stuck in unhelpful patterns that you’ve struggled to shift in standard therapy
- You’re facing a major life transition or decision and want clarity and direction
- You want to explore and heal deep trauma in a space that offers containment, safety, and continuity
- You struggle to commit to weekly therapy due to work, travel, or lifestyle demands
- You’re seeking a retreat-like environment for reflection, growth, and emotional renewal
Whether you’re seeking clarity, connection, healing, or transformation, an intensive offers the time and depth to move forward with intention.
Why Intensives For Couples?
My own experience validates it
I love working intensively with couples because the results are often truly transformative. Over three focused days, couples gain deep insight into what’s not working and begin doing the real, relational work needed to facilitate lasting connection and intimacy.
Because couples prefer them
Couples consistently describe how intensives transform things in a way that weekly therapy couldn’t. I asked a recent client to describe why she felt this was:
“In a one-hour session, I’ve often had to hold back—some things just feel too deep, too painful, with no time to find comfort or resolution. But in an intensive, I feel safe enough to share the brutal truths. We know we have hours, or another day, to work through it together. That’s what makes the difference—we can finally say and work through the things we were too scared to say before…..We’ve had so many ‘aha’ moments where the penny drops, and you just know—this realization will forever change how we relate to each other.”
The research backs it
It’s not just my experience—research consistently shows that intensive couple therapy leads to deeper, more enduring change compared to weekly sessions. Immersive work helps couples break patterns faster, stay engaged longer, and create real momentum for change.
An investment in your future
The cost of an intensive is comparable to six months of weekly sessions—but many couples prefer to accelerate the process and start living the change now. No couples I have worked with have ever regretted the investment. It’s a commitment not just to your relationship—but to your emotional wellbeing, connection, and future.
Why intensives For Trauma?
For many individuals and couples, unhealed childhood wounds and past traumas show up in their relationships as misunderstandings, reactivity, expectations or disconnection. In traditional therapy, there’s often not enough time to go deep and stay with the vulnerability required for healing. But in contrast to the name, intensives actually offer the time and space to slow things down and really connect and heal underlying traumas in a way that feels safe and containing.
Trauma-informed intensives allow for powerful experiential work—such as inner child exploration or EMDR. When done within a couple context this not only helps one partner heal but supports the other in witnessing that healing in real time. This builds empathy, reduces reactivity, and strengthens the bond between partners.
And just as important, intensives offer the unique ability to work with what unfolds from the trauma therapy—guiding individuals and couples through the emotional fallout or integration, rather than leaving them to manage it alone between sessions.
"Couples undergoing intensive therapy in a shorter period achieved the most significant positive changes"
(Boegner & Zielenbach-Coenen, 1984)
Contact Priscilla
I’d love to hear from you. If you have any questions or just want to say hello, please send a message via the form or my email address.
- hello@priscillashort.com