"As we acknowledge the strength and resiliency; may we honor the hurt and pain it took to get there"
EMDR/IFS Intensives
Personalized
Focused & Immersive
Offered by Nancy Phung-Smith, LMFT
Contact Nancy for
Questions or Curiosities
What are Therapy Intensives?
Therapy intensives are extended sessions—typically half-day, full-day, or multi-day formats—that allow you to go deeper, faster. Instead of spreading therapy out over months, intensives condense focused work into a shorter amount of time, allowing for profound insight and emotional processing without the interruptions of day-to-day life.
Intensives are customized 1:1 deep-dive experiences designed to help you move through a targeted painful experience, gain insight, and heal in a way that traditional weekly therapy may not allow.
How is it Different from Traditional Therapy?
Clearly Focus: Without the interruptions of weekly sessions, we can engage in uninterrupted processing
Accelerated Progress: Intensives allow you to work through specific challenges or events through a trauma informed approach.
Deep Integration: We will get work through the all phases of trauma healing--being held and witness continuously, and creating space and time for more supported processing, reflection, and integration.
What To Expect with Therapy Intensives?
Your therapy intensive is designed around you. After an initial pre intensive session, we’ll create a personalized plan using evidence-based modalities like EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), & somatic work. The pace is slower, deeper, and allows time for integration and reflection—without being rushed.
1
Pre-Intensive Session
A 45-minute session to explore your history, goals, and how to best structure your intensive for deep healing. You’ll also receive guidance to prepare mentally and emotionally.
2
Intensive Materials
Customized worksheets with psychoeducation, assessments, activities, journal prompts, and somatic exercises to enhance your experience and support your healing.
3
The Intensive Session
A tailored approach using EMDR/IFS, somatic therapy, and trauma-based work to process emotions, release trauma, and create lasting change. The therapy intensives can take place in person at my office in San Diego or virtually.
4
Post Intensive Session
A 45-minute follow-up session to help integrate your experience, process insights, and support your continued healing.
Why
Therapy Intensives?
Whether it was recent or something from the past, you feel its impact in different areas of your life, and you're ready to process and release it.
You’ve experienced a painful event that still affects you.
Instead of just managing symptoms, you want to understand where they come from and finally address them in a lasting way.
You want to uncover the root cause of your struggles.
Even with regular sessions, you feel like something isn’t fully clicking, and you need a breakthrough to move forward.
You’re in weekly therapy but still feel stuck.
Whether you're preparing for a new chapter—career changes, relationships, parenthood, or a personal transformation—this work helps you feel mentally and emotionally ready.
You’re navigating a major life transition and want to feel grounded.
1 Day
Starting at $1,280
-
4.5 face-to-face hours
-
Resources, assessments, personalized worksheets, & post-Intensive treatment plan
2 Day
Starting at $2,080
-
7.5 face-to-face hours
-
Resources, assessments, personalized worksheets, & post-Intensive treatment plan
3 Day
Starting at $2,800
-
10.5 face-to-face hours
-
Resources, assessments, personalized worksheets, & post-Intensive treatment plan
FAQs
01.
Is it too much at once?
The exact opposite actually, intensives are designed to be spacious—allowing room for grounding, slowing down, and checking in with the parts of you in each moment. We lean into the cues of the nervous system’s readiness, and we build in time to pause, regulate, and integrate.
02.
Can I afford it?
Many clients find they make more progress in one intensive than they would in months, or even years, of weekly therapy. Thus intensives are becoming more sought after as an investment for immediate and lasting healing.
03.
What if I am already in therapy or have my own therapist?
Intensives are a treatment approach that can be done on its own, or in conjunction with your currently therapist to supplement the work you are doing.
04.
Can insurance help pay for Therapy Intensives?
Therapy Intensives are not covered by insurance and are paid out of pocket. In doing so, you understand that the intensive will not be submitted to insurance, the amount paid will not go to your deductible, and you will not be eligible for out-of-network reimbursement.
05.
Can I have multiple issues in one intensive?
Yes, we will customize your intensive to address your specific needs and priorities. Some people focus on a single event or theme, while others work through multiple layers of emotions or experiences.
06.
What if I need additional support after my intensive?
Your healing doesn’t stop after your intensive. You’ll have the option to book additional therapy intensive sessions, follow-up sessions, or transition into ongoing therapy if needed. You’ll also receive self-care tools and exercises to help continue the work on your own.
07.
Is it like a retreat?
Your healing doesn’t stop after your intensive. You’ll have the option to book additional therapy intensive sessions, follow-up sessions, or transition into ongoing therapy if needed. You’ll also receive self-care tools and exercises to help continue the work on your own.
Curious What The Research Is Saying?
There is some great research from the past several years that support therapy intensives for trauma.
Highlights:
NOTE: Every client is different, and results and responses to treatment vary
Why Haven’t I Heard Of A Therapy Intensive Before?
Long story short? Insurance companies have historically not covered sessions that are longer in length. In fact, the billing code that many therapists who offered Intensives used recently was discontinued.
People might confuse therapy intensives with wellness retreats or life coaching, especially since the format feels nontraditional. That confusion can make them harder to find through typical therapy channels.