EMDR Intensives at Sycamore Counseling

 EMDR Intensives are extended therapy sessions designed to provide a concentrated and structured approach to healing. Instead of weekly 50-minute sessions, you engage in a longer, more immersive experience that allows you to dive deeper into processing traumatic memories or disturbing life events. Sycamore offers both half-day (4-hours) or full-day (8 hours) intensive options. These intensives offer the opportunity to work through issues in a condensed period, making it possible to see significant progress in days rather than months. EMDR Intensives offer clients an option to work on a therapeutic goal in one sitting during a longer dedicated block of time. 

 Many people find EMDR Intensives beneficial because they:

• Accelerate the healing process: By working intensively for several hours, you can address multiple memories or related issues more quickly than traditional weekly therapy.
• Minimize disruption to daily life: With half-day or full-day sessions, you can complete significant therapeutic work over a shorter period, reducing the need for long-term weekly appointments.
• Provide a structured healing environment: The intensive format allows for continuous therapeutic focus without the interruptions common in shorter sessions.
• Help you gain momentum in your healing journey: The immersive experience supports deep processing and helps build positive momentum, making it easier to maintain progress after the session ends.
• Allow for customized treatment plans: Each intensive is tailored to your specific needs, focusing on the issues you want to address most urgently.

1. Initial Consultation and Assessment:
Before scheduling your EMDR Intensive, you’ll schedule a 20-minute call with one of our therapists for a consultation. This session will help us understand your history, current symptoms, and goals for therapy. We’ll also evaluate your readiness for an intensive format to ensure that EMDR Intensives are a good fit for you and optimize likelihood of a successful session.

2. Intake Session & Preparation Phase: In the days or weeks leading up to your intensive, you will schedule an intake session with your therapist. During the intake session, you will go over relevant details of your history, treatment goals, and preparation for the intensive. You may be given “resourcing” exercises to practice. These are grounding and coping skills designed to help you manage emotional responses during the intensive. Our goal is to ensure that you feel confident and equipped to engage in the deep therapeutic work. 

3. The Intensive Session:
Depending on the option you choose (half-day or full-day), you will spend several hours working closely with your therapist. The session will follow a structured approach that includes:

• Resourcing and Stabilization: We begin with grounding exercises to help you feel calm and centered.
• Target Identification: We will identify the specific memories, beliefs, or symptoms you wish to work on.
• EMDR Processing: Using bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, or sounds), we will process the targeted memories. This process allows your brain to reprocess traumatic information in a way that reduces its emotional charge and promotes healing.
• Debriefing and Closure: The session concludes with a debriefing to ensure you leave feeling stable and supported. Your therapist will guide you through additional grounding exercises if needed.

4. Follow-Up and Integration:
After the intensive, you will schedule a 30-minute follow-up session or phone call with your therapist to check-in or to integrate the work you’ve done. We’ll also provide guidance on self-care and resources to support your healing journey. Your therapist can also assist in referrals to other resources or to ongoing therapy resources, as needed.

It is important to note that our EMDR Intensives do not include follow-up weekly therapy sessions. Once the intensive is complete, the therapeutic relationship concludes, allowing you the freedom to engage in further healing on your own terms. This approach ensures that the intensive serves as a powerful, self-contained experience that helps you address your needs efficiently and effectively. 

Some of our therapists specialize exclusively in providing EMDR Intensives and do not offer individual, ongoing therapy. Others may offer both types of services but may not have availability for regular sessions following the intensive. Regardless of their specific practice focus, our therapists are committed to helping you find the next steps in your healing journey.  While we do not continue weekly therapy beyond the EMDR Intensive, we will do our best to support you in finding additional resources or appropriate referrals if you wish to continue your healing work after an EMDR intensive.

EMDR Intensives can be particularly helpful if you:

• Are experiencing symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, or other trauma-related conditions
• Have limited availability for weekly therapy appointments
• Feel "stuck" in your current therapy and are seeking a more rapid resolution
• Want to make significant progress before an upcoming life event, such as a move, surgery, or major life transition
• Have already done some trauma therapy and are ready to address deeper issues
• Have occupational, educational, or other commitments that require you to frequently travel between states throughout the year (Therapists can only practice in the states that they are licensed in and this is defined by where you as the client are located. If you see a therapist licensed in Michigan, you can only see your therapist legally if you are physically in the State of Michigan. If you travel for work, college, vacation, or other reasons, you are not legally able to see your therapist during these times. EMDR Intensives allow for concentrated therapy during time that you are located within the state.)

 While EMDR Intensives can be highly effective, they are not suitable for everyone. Individuals with severe dissociation, active substance abuse, active suicidal ideation or self-harm, or an active eating disorder may require a more gradual therapeutic approach. Our therapists will work with you to determine if an intensive format is the best fit for your needs during the initial consultation. 

 Sycamore offers two packages for EMDR Intensives:

• Half-Day Intensive (4 hours intensive block, 6 hours total): Ideal for processing a specific traumatic memory or set of related memories. The half-day package includes a 20-minute consultation call, a full intake session, your EMDR intensive day (a 4-hour block of time for processing), and a 30-minute follow-up call. This option allows for a focused but manageable amount of therapeutic work. 

              Investment: $750

• Full-Day Intensive (8 hour intensive block, 10 hours total): Provides the time needed to address multiple memories or complex trauma. the full-day package includes a 20-minute consultation call, a full intake session, your EMDR intensive day (an 8-hour block of time for processing), and a 30-minute follow-up call. This can be scheduled as either one 8-hour session or two 4-hour sessions. This option is suitable for individuals who want to achieve more comprehensive processing in a single day (or over a two-day period). Breaks are included to maintain mental and emotional endurance. 

              Investment: $1350

 Sycamore operates on a private pay basis, which allows us to offer a more personalized, flexible approach to your healing journey without the limitations and restrictions imposed by insurance coverage. Additionally, insurance companies do not typically cover EMDR Intensives, as they are considered outside the scope of traditional weekly therapy sessions. The fee for an EMDR Intensive can be paid via credit card, cash, or check.  Many clients find that the accelerated progress achieved in an EMDR Intensive is a worthwhile investment in their healing, potentially reducing the need for ongoing weekly therapy in the long run.