Is an Intensive Right For Us?
EFT intensives can be extremely rewarding but are not the right treatment format for every couple. There are some key factors to help decide whether an EFT intensive might be what you’re looking for.
Intensive Roadmap
Here’s where you can get familiar with the entire intensive process – from our first contact all the way through follow-up care.
Follow-up Work & Alternative Resources
The effects of an EFT intensive last longest when couples commit to follow-up work. Also, some couples will not be selected for an intensive because it’s not the right format for their relationship at this time. There are many alternative and follow-up treatment options that I can recommend.
Here’s where you can get familiar with the entire intensive process – from our first contact all the way through follow-up care. I conduct thorough screenings with all potential clients because the intensive format is a very specific form of couples therapy that is not right for some couples. For those couples who are good candidates for an intensive, the process will go like this:
STEP 1
Read through the page Is an Intensive Right For Us? If you believe you are good candidates for an EFT Intensive with me, submit the inquiry form at the bottom of this page, and I will get back to you within 1 business day.
STEP 2
We will do a free 30-minute consultation. This is our first step in my screening process to see if a couple is a good candidate for the intensive format. You will be able to ask questions and see if you want to move forward. If it is determined that the intensive format is not the right option for you, click here to see the additional resources and options available to you.
STEP 3
If you want to move toward booking, this is the time when you will fill out all my consent paperwork and a variety of questionnaires and screening tools. Honesty is essential so that I don’t have to end your intensive partway though when I find out information that makes an intensive inappropriate.
STEP 4
If after reading through all your paperwork, I believe you are good candidates for an intensive, we will schedule a 60-minute intake meeting. That meeting allows us to take care of planning your intensive schedule, asking/answering any remaining questions, and going over consent and policies so that on the first day of your intensive, we can hit the ground running. If it is determined that the intensive format is not the right option for you, click here to see the additional resources and options available to you.
STEP 5
Once we have the 60-minute intake meeting and book your intensive, all you need to do is make sure your schedule is clear for the days of your intensive, read Hold Me Tight, by Sue Johnson, and go about daily life until it’s time for your intensive! For additional tips on getting the most out of your intensive, click here.
STEP 6
After your intensive, you may feel a bit of a high, and eventually real life will remind you that the intensive didn’t change everything. During the last part of your intensive, we will discuss a follow-up treatment plan tailored to you so that you can help the work from your intensive last. Click here to see examples of follow-up treatment recommendations.
Self-Care to Make the Most of Your EFT Intensive
Before
Clear your schedule for the 2 days you book for the intensive. You are not going to want to be answering work emails during breaks and at the end of the day, and you probably won’t have bandwidth for much of anything on the days of your intensive.
If you have kids, an ideal scenario would be for them to do a 48-hour sleepover at a friend’s or family member’s house. Next best would be to have them out of the house just during the hours of the intensive (approx 9-5). If you have an infant, they could be at home with you and we would just need to plan your intensive schedule to accommodate feeding and naptimes. The key is you don’t want to have kids at home who will be able to overhear or become distressed by what’s happening in the intensive. Clients need to be able to speak and emote freely for the intensive to be effective.
Do your best to get a good night’s sleep on the nights before your intensive because this will improve your ability to think and access your emotions during the intensive.
Eat and drink as you normally do on the mornings of the intensive. Don’t consume more caffeine than you normally would.
Prepare snacks and lunches in advance so you’re not rushing during the breaks or spending all your time prepping or getting food. You want to be able to relax during the breaks.
During
During the breaks, try to actually give your nervous system a break by doing something that calms you or energizes you, depending on your need at the time. Suggestions include exercise, going for a walk, meditating, playing an instrument, playing with the dog, etc. You can spend the breaks alone or together, depending on what you need.
Eat decent food on the breaks so that you’re not overly tired or full for those afternoon sessions.
After
Try to reduce expectations about how you’ll feel after the intensive. You may feel exhausted or energized – or, more than likely, a combo! If you make plans for the evenings of the intensive, try to have those be loose plans that you can cancel if need be. You will very likely want to order takeout and then go to bed.
Don’t despair when you inevitably find yourselves in conflict again after the intensive. All couples have conflict, and the intensive isn’t designed to change that. The most basic goal of any intensive would be that you understand your pattern of conflict in a new way and you have some basic skills to change HOW you maneuver in those conflicting situations. When you experience conflict after an intensive, consider that this could mean 3 things: 1) all healthy couples fight sometimes!, 2) we might have achieved some of our goals but we have more to work on, or 3) our bandwidth is really low because we just did an EFT intensive; we might need to rest and recharge before the full effects of the intensive are realized (this is for couples who might find themselves in a disagreement just hours or days after the intensive).
Plan ahead on how you’ll utilize my recommendations for follow-up couples work; even couples who may not need further intensives will need some version of follow-up work to keep the effects of the intensive active in their relationship.
Sample Schedule
Day 1
9-10am joint session
10-11am individual session with one partner
11-12pm individual session with the other partner
12-1:30pm break for lunch
1:30-3pm joint session
3-4pm break
4-5:30pm joint session; wrap up day 1
Day 2
10-12pm joint session
12-1:30pm break for lunch
1:30-3:30pm joint session
3:30-4pm break
4-5pm debrief the intensive and discuss follow-up care options and recommendations
EFT Couples Intensive Inquiries
I am fully booked for my EFT Intensives through the rest of 2023 and am not taking new inquiries at this time. I will begin taking new inquiries for EFT Intensives Jan 2024.