What Is a Therapy Intensive and How Can Therapists Offer Them?
If you're a therapist looking to grow your private practice, serve your clients more effectively, and create more spaciousness in your schedule, therapy intensives might be the game-changer you’ve been looking for and I’m the girl to help you get started!
Hey there, I’m Hannah Ciampini, —a therapist and business coach who helps clinicians across the U.S. create thriving, burnout-proof practices with boutique offers like intensives. I’m going to break down what therapy intensives are, how they differ from traditional sessions, and how you can begin offering them in your own practice—no matter what modality you use.
What is a Therapy Intensive?
A therapy intensive is a longer-format session (usually half-day, full-day, or multi-day) that allows clients to engage in deeper work in a shorter amount of time. Instead of weekly 50-minute sessions, intensives offer a condensed, focused experience that leads to faster breakthroughs and more impactful healing.
While EMDR is one modality often used in intensives, it’s not the only one. Therapists offer intensives using Brainspotting, somatic work, parts work, IFS, narrative therapy, trauma-informed coaching, and more. The therapist community has really gotten creative with different modalities and how to offer them in an intensive style session. The intensive format is flexible and powerful—it's about the structure, not just the method.
These sessions are ideal for clients who:
Feel stuck in weekly therapy sessions
Have a specific issue or trauma they want to focus on
Need more flexible scheduling options
Are motivated and want faster results
Why Offer Therapy Intensives as a Therapist?
No matter where you're practicing—from a small town to a virtual nationwide practice—therapy intensives can transform both your clinical outcomes and your business. Here’s how:
Better Client Outcomes: Clients often experience faster and more meaningful shifts in intensives. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I’ve been in therapy for months/years for this and we just healed it in a few days”. Honestly, so rewarding.
Higher Income Potential: Intensives are typically premium offers, allowing you to increase revenue without increasing your weekly caseload.
Schedule Flexibility: Fewer sessions per week = more time for rest, family, or creativity.
Attract Ideal Clients: Many clients seek out intensives specifically, especially those ready to travel or commit to accelerated progress.
How to Start Offering Therapy Intensives in Your Practice
Curious how to begin offering intensives in your private practice? Here are the steps I guide my coaching clients through:
Clarify Your Ideal Client and Niche
Not all clients are a fit for intensives. Get clear on who you want to serve and what issues you’ll focus on—whether that’s trauma, transitions, identity work, or emotional burnout. Stuck on what your niche is? So was I! Which is why I now have a whole workbook dedicated to helping you figure it out. Get it HERE.
Design Your Intensive Offerings
Choose the length (half-day, full-day, multi-day), format, and structure. Will you include pre- and post-session support? What’s your pricing strategy? How will you build in rest and integration time?
Set Up Your Systems
From intake paperwork to scheduling to payment collection—make sure your workflow is smooth, ethical, and scalable.
Market with Confidence
Create a dedicated page on your website, write blogs (like this one!), and share about your services through your email list, Instagram, and networking groups.
Create Boundaries That Support You
Intensives require more energy per session. Protect your time and well-being with clear limits on how often you offer them and how clients can prepare and follow up.
Need Help Launching Therapy Intensives?
As a therapist and coach who has built a successful intensive-based practice, I now support other therapists—no matter your location or modality—to do the same. Through my coaching programs, I help you:
Design intensives that align with your schedule and income goals
Feel confident about pricing and marketing
Create sustainable systems and strong clinical boundaries
Attract clients who are ready to go deep
Let’s Build Your Intensive Offer Together
Whether you're just starting your practice or ready to shift to something more sustainable, intensives can help you serve clients more deeply while building a business that supports your life too.
Want to learn how to make it happen? Book a free discovery call to explore coaching options. Let’s build your boutique, values-aligned offer together.
