Therapy Intensive Session Explained: What to Expect from Start to Finish
Trying something new can feel intimidating, especially when it comes to therapy. If you’ve been curious about therapy intensives, you might be feeling both hopeful and nervous. That’s completely normal. Whenever we step into new territory, it’s natural to wonder:
💭 What will it be like?
💭 What should I expect?
As a therapist specializing in supporting high-achieving women and BIPOC professionals in Kirkland, the greater Seattle area, and across Washington State, I want to demystify the process for you. In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly what to expect in a therapy intensive session with me - from how we prepare beforehand, to what happens during our time together, to how the healing continues afterward.
Think of this as your guide to help you feel grounded, prepared, and supported as you consider whether a therapy intensive might be right for you.
My office is a calming therapy space located in Kirkland, WA - created for women and BIPOC professionals seeking deeper healing through therapy intensives on Seattle’s Eastside.
Before the Session: Preparing for Your Therapy Intensive
Preparation is an important part of the intensive experience. It helps you step into the session feeling grounded, focused, and ready to do the deep work. While you don’t need to come in with everything figured out, a few intentional steps can make a big difference:
1. Consultation Call
We’ll begin with a consultation call. This is your chance to ask questions, share a bit about what brought you to therapy, and learn about my approach. I’ll also help you get a sense of whether an intensive is the right fit for your needs. Many people are relieved to know they don’t have to have it all figured out - we’ll clarify things together.
2. Complete a customizable workbook*
Prior to your intensive, you’ll receive a workbook designed to guide your preparation. It includes reflective prompts, clarifying questions about your personal history, and short assessments to highlight areas of focus. This not only helps you articulate your goals, but also allows me to better anticipate your needs so the intensive is fully tailored to you.
*this is an add on to intensives, more information can be provided on cost of adding this additional product to your intensive
3. Clarifying Your Goals
Once you decide to move forward, we’ll talk through what you hope to focus on. For some, it’s processing a specific trauma. For others, it’s untangling patterns of burnout, stress, or perfectionism. You don’t need to have a perfect goal statement - just a sense of what feels heavy or unresolved. Together, we’ll create a framework so our time is purposeful, while still leaving room for flexibility.
3. Logistics Made Simple
I’ll walk you through the practical details: how long the session will be, where to meet (whether virtually across Washington State or in person in Kirkland WA), and what to bring. For example, you might want a journal, water, or a grounding object. Preparing these small things ahead of time makes it easier to settle into the work once we’re together.
During the Session: Going Deeper with Support
A therapy intensive session is different from traditional weekly therapy. Instead of 50 minutes, we have several hours (often in one extended block) to slow down, go deeper, and stay with the process without rushing.
Here’s what you can expect during the session:
1. A Structured Yet Flexible Flow
We’ll begin with grounding - helping you feel centered and safe. From there, we’ll move into the deeper work using evidence-based approaches such as EMDR, trauma-informed parts work, or resourcing strategies. I’ll guide you step by step, checking in regularly to make sure you feel supported. While there’s a structure to our time, there’s also flexibility. If something unexpected comes up, we have the space to follow it.
2. Evidence-Based Tools
Therapy intensives allow us to use approaches like EMDR in a way that isn’t always possible in short weekly sessions. For example, instead of pausing mid-process and picking it back up a week later, we can stay with the work, follow it through, and often reach greater resolution in a single sitting. This is one of the biggest differences between intensives and traditional therapy - you get to experience momentum and continuity without interruption.
3. Depth That Weekly Sessions Can’t Always Reach
Many women and professionals I work with in Kirkland and across Washington State come to me because they feel stuck. They’ve tried traditional therapy, but the stop-and-start nature hasn’t allowed them to go as deep as they want. A therapy intensive creates the space to move past surface-level coping and into the heart of the issue. This kind of focused time can accelerate progress and bring clarity, relief, and a greater sense of peace.
Healing is often subtle - like light and shadow shifting into balance. Therapy intensives create space for reflection, release, and deeper transformation.
After the Session: Integration and Support
The healing doesn’t end when the session does. In fact, one of the most important parts of an intensive is the integration that happens afterward.
1. Time to Reflect
After your therapy intensive session, it’s normal to need space for reflection. You may feel lighter, more clear, or sometimes a bit tired - your mind and body have been doing deep work. I’ll provide suggestions for gentle ways to care for yourself afterward, such as journaling, rest, or mindful movement.
2. Resources to Support You
I often share tailored resources - like grounding exercises, journaling prompts, or guided meditations - to help you continue the process on your own. These tools are meant to support your integration and help you apply what you’ve discovered in daily life.
3. Follow-Up Connection
Depending on your goals, we may schedule a follow-up session or check-in call. This gives us a chance to process anything that’s come up since the intensive and to ensure you feel supported moving forward. Remember, therapy is a journey. An intensive can be a powerful turning point, but your growth continues beyond that single day.
4. Normalizing the Ongoing Process
Healing isn’t always linear. Some clients notice immediate shifts, while others find that insights unfold slowly over days or weeks. Both are completely normal. The important part is knowing that what you experienced in the intensive is working beneath the surface, supporting your longer-term healing and resilience.
Why Women and BIPOC Professionals in Seattle Choose Therapy Intensives
The women and BIPOC professionals I work with are often carrying a lot - juggling careers, family responsibilities, and the weight of showing up for everyone else. It’s no surprise that weekly therapy sessions can sometimes feel like just another appointment on an already overloaded calendar.
A therapy intensive offers:
Focused time away from daily pressures to do deep work.
A safe space to process stress, trauma, and burnout without being rushed.
Flexibility for those who can’t commit to weekly therapy long-term.
Whether you’re in the greater Seattle area, or in Washington State, or looking for in-person sessions in Kirkland WA, this approach can provide the breakthrough you’ve been seeking.
Is a Therapy Intensive Session Right for You?
If you’ve been wondering what to expect in therapy and whether a therapy intensive session might help you move forward, know that you don’t have to figure it out alone. That’s what the consultation call is for - to explore your needs, answer your questions, and see if this approach is a good fit.
Trying something new can be intimidating, but it can also be the doorway to real transformation. Many of my clients leave their therapy intensive sessions saying they finally feel unstuck, like something heavy has lifted, or that they see a new path forward.
You don’t have to navigate stress, burnout, or trauma on your own. A therapy intensive offers the time, tools, and support to go deeper and create lasting change. If you’re tired of carrying the weight alone, ready to move beyond survival mode, and longing for peace and clarity - this might be the right next step for you.
Looking for a therapist in Kirkland, the greater Seattle area, or anywhere in Washington State who offers therapy intensives designed for deeper healing?
Let’s work together to help you reclaim your time, release what’s been holding you back, and experience lasting change - efficiently and with care.
About the author
Angelica De Anda is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and EMDR Certified therapist based in Washington State. Offering virtual therapy and in-person EMDR extended and EMDR intensives for individuals ready to move through trauma, burnout, and stress with deeper, faster results. Her work is grounded in cultural humility, compassion, and a belief in each client’s capacity to heal.
