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.
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.
Who Might Want to Do an Intensive:
- Couples who need or want to fit many hours of therapy into a short time span.
- Couples who have schedules that don’t allow for weekly or biweekly therapy.
- Couples who have been working with another therapist but aren’t getting anywhere and want to jump-start therapy in a short amount of time.
- Couples outside Idaho who don’t have an EFT therapist in their area but would be willing to travel to do a lot of therapy in just a 2-day span.
- Couples who are preparing for a big life change and don’t have the luxury of waiting for weekly therapy to get momentum (such as couples expecting a baby, couples about to move, etc.).
Statement of Inclusion
I welcome all potential clients and do not discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender orientation, age, race, ethnicity, disability status, or faith/religious affiliation. If you are a member of a marginalized group and I determine an EFT intensive is not the right treatment format for your relationship at this time, please know that my decision would be for one of the reasons below and not based on your marginalized status. I would be glad to talk with you and assist you in finding alternate treatment/therapy options.
Who is Not a Good Candidate for an Intensive:
EFT Intensives Are NOT The Right Format When . . .
- there is untreated (“active”) addiction
- there is an active affair or other form of infidelity
- partners are afraid of one another (imbalance of power)
- partners have trouble handling intense emotion safely or cannot be civil to one another amidst intense emotional triggers
- the EFT model is not well-matched with the couple’s goals (for example, wanting the therapist to take sides or mediate disagreements)
- partners cannot agree on the goal of the intensive (for example, one wants to convince the other to stay in the relationship; the other wants to talk openly about ending the relationship – an intensive is not the place to explore whether you want to leave your relationship).
If I review your assessment questionnaires and determine that your relationship is not best-served by the intensive format at this time, I will inform you of that and suggest some alternative options.
Benefits and Risks of the Intensive Format:
Benefits
- can be more time-efficient than weekly therapy. We spend less time “preparing for take off” and “landing the plane” (the parts at the beginning and end of sessions where we determine what to focus on and summarize take-aways).
- can be more energy-efficient than weekly therapy because we are not as limited by the clock – we can break when we need to and spend longer to build momentum on things when we need to.
- can access deeper emotion (leading to greater change). The large chunks of time set aside for an intensive make it easier for partners to focus and to process deeper feelings, like pain (compared to weekly therapy where you might be coming from work and heading to pick up the kids right after).
- can often achieve the equivalent of 10-12 sessions of therapy within a single intensive (2 days)
Risks
- greater up-front commitment of time and money
- intensives can be draining emotionally and physically
- unrealistic expectations might leave couples disappointed with their need for follow-up treatment
As with all therapy, results are not guaranteed.
If you live outside Idaho, are you willing to travel?
Every state has different laws and licensing requirements for mental health professionals. I am licensed in the State of Idaho and am only allowed to provide counseling/therapy services to people physically in the State of Idaho at the time of the service.
Are you open to the virtual format?
All intensives are booked with the understanding they will likely be held virtually. I operate a telehealth-only practice, so I do not maintain an office where we can meet for the intensive. Options for in-person intensives can be discussed during your 60-minute intake meeting. However, due to the many possible health-related reasons for needing to cancel an in-person intensive last minute, I opt to avoid that risk by planning to do intensives virtually. This means a strong internet connection is a must for couples wanting to book an intensive with me.
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.