EMDR Intensives · Redondo Beach, CA
Extended EMDR Sessions That Give You the Time and Space to Work Through What’s Still Affecting Your Daily Life
Sometimes Healing Needs More Than One Hour a Week
You may have already tried to understand what they’re carrying — through therapy, books, podcasts, or conversations with people they trust. Even so, certain memories still show up unexpectedly. You might feel on edge in everyday situations, find yourself avoiding reminders of the past, or wonder why your body still reacts the way it does even though you know you’re safe.
Weekly therapy is genuinely helpful, and for many people, it’s the right choice. But sometimes a session ends just as the most important part of the work is beginning.
An EMDR Intensive offers a different approach: time to prepare, process, pause when needed, and integrate an experience before you leave — rather than spreading that work across weeks of stop-and-start sessions.
What Is an EMDR Intensive?
An EMDR Intensive is an extended therapy session that gives a specific concern more time and focused attention, without a session ending just as the most meaningful work begins. Instead of spreading that process across weeks or months, we stay with it.
Every intensive begins with preparation, to make sure you feel ready and resourced. Throughout the intensive we take breaks, check in with each other, and slow down whenever you need to. Every intensive looks a little different, because every story is different — some focus on working through one difficult experience, others address a pattern or a memory with continuing effects.
What Can EMDR Intensives Help With?
EMDR Intensives can help with many experiences that continue to affect how you feel or react in daily life. While many people know EMDR for trauma, it can also help you heal from other difficult experiences that still feel emotionally present.
Pregnancy, Postpartum & Parenting
Birth trauma
Pregnancy loss and miscarriage
Infertility and fertility treatments
Pregnancy after loss
Postpartum anxiety and intrusive thoughts
Childhood wounds that surface in parenting
Trauma & Difficult Life Experiences
Childhood trauma
Medical trauma
Relationship trauma
Attachment wounds
Grief and loss
Distressing memories that keep resurfacing
Anxiety & Life Transitions
Quiet, persistent anxiety
Emotional stuckness
Chronic stress
Major life transitions
Emotional or physical reactions triggered by an ongoing experience
Not sure if an EMDR Intensive is the right fit? We can talk it through together during a consultation.
What Therapy Can Offer
When your own nervous system feels overwhelmed, it can be difficult to understand what your child needs in the moment. Constantly managing big emotions, interrupted sleep, appointments, school concerns, and the mental load of parenting can leave you with less capacity to respond the way you want to.
Therapy gives you a place to slow down and make sense of what's happening. We may talk through emotional outbursts, concerns about your child's behavior, parenting a neurodivergent child, or advice that doesn't seem to fit your family. We may also explore the guilt that follows difficult moments, the pressure to get everything right, or how your own experiences are showing up in your parenting. Rather than judging those moments, we'll get curious about what they might be telling us.
Over time, many moms notice:
Less guilt and self-criticism after difficult days
More confidence in the decisions they're making as parents
Recognizing when they're reaching their limit and what helps them recover
A better understanding of what helps regulate both you and your child during stressful moments
More compassion for themselves during stressful moments
Stronger connection within their relationships and family
More room for their own needs alongside the needs of everyone else
“Many moms tell me they feel relieved to have a place where they don’t have to pretend they have all the answers.”
Why I Offer This
Why I Offer EMDR Intensives
Through my EMDR training and my work with clients, I kept noticing the same pattern: it takes time to settle into a session, to reconnect with what brought you in, and to really begin processing — and just as that work started to unfold, the session would end, and we’d have to pick it back up the following week.
I noticed how much time was spent settling in before the deeper work could even start, and I found myself wondering what it would look like to stop just as we were arriving somewhere important less often. That curiosity is what led me to start offering EMDR Intensives.
Weekly therapy is meaningful, and it’s the right approach for many people. EMDR Intensives aren’t a replacement — they’re another option for people who would benefit from more uninterrupted time. With several hours together, there’s room to settle in, stay with the work, and pause when needed — less clock-watching, more room to respond to what the moment actually needs.
“I believe healing happens when people feel safe.”
That belief shapes everything about how I work. The goal was never to get through as much as possible — it’s to create a safe environment where we can engage with what’s there without overwhelm. After an intensive, many people describe feeling greater flexibility, more confidence, a stronger sense of self, and closer connection to the people who matter most.
Working Together
The Intensive Process
1
Complimentary Consultation
We’ll start with a complimentary 15-minute consultation. This is your chance to share what brings you here, ask any questions, and see if an EMDR Intensive feels like the right next step for you.
2
Preparation
If we decide to move forward, we’ll schedule one or more preparation sessions before your intensive. During this time, I’ll get to know your story, explain the EMDR process, and help you build the resources you’ll use during your intensive. Before the day arrives, you’ll know what to expect and have a clear plan for how we’ll spend our time together.
3
Your EMDR Intensive
When you arrive, we’ll take some time to settle in before we start. Then we’ll move through the EMDR process, taking breaks as needed and checking in throughout the day. I’ll pay close attention to how you’re doing and adjust as we go, so you never feel like you have to push through something before you’re ready.
4
Integration and Follow-Up
After your intensive, we’ll schedule a follow-up session to talk about your experience, answer any questions, and discuss what you’re noticing in the days that follow. If you’re already working with a therapist, I’m happy to collaborate with them, with your written permission, so your care feels coordinated and consistent.
options
EMDR Intensive Options
Every story is different, so I offer a few intensive options. You don’t need to decide on the perfect option before reaching out — we’ll talk through what you want to work on during your consultation and choose the option that fits best. If we find that you'd benefit from additional intensive sessions, we can always add them later.
Half-Day Intensive
Approximately 3 hours
Designed for people who want to focus on one specific memory, experience, or goal.
Full-Day Intensive
Approximately 6 hours
Offers more time to prepare, process, and stay with the work before taking time to integrate what you've experienced.
Two-Day Intensive
Two consecutive days
Designed for people with more complex concerns or those who would benefit from spreading the work over two days.
Some experiences just take more time, and that's okay.
Investment & Payment
Every EMDR Intensive is tailored to you, your history, and what you’ll need before, during, and after. We’ll review pricing together and I’ll recommend what makes the most sense during your consultation.
Included in each intensive: preparation session(s), your EMDR Intensive, a follow-up integration session, and coordination with your current therapist if requested (with your written permission).
Insurance: EMDR Intensives are offered as a private-pay service. I don’t bill insurance directly, but I’m happy to provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
Payment: Payment is due before your intensive. I accept all major credit and debit cards, as well as HSA/FSA cards. A deposit is required to reserve your intensive date — details are provided when we schedule.
Rescheduling & Cancellations
Because EMDR Intensives reserve several hours exclusively for you, I ask for at least 72 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule. With 72 hours’ notice, your deposit can be transferred to a future intensive date. With less than 72 hours’ notice, the deposit is forfeited, except in cases of illness or a true emergency, which are handled on a case-by-case basis.
FAQs
EMDR Intensive Questions
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You don't have to figure that out before reaching out. We'll talk about what you'd like to work on, your previous therapy experience, and what feels realistic for you. From there, I'll recommend the option I think will give you enough time without feeling like more than you need.
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No. Many people begin working with me through an EMDR Intensive.
Before we schedule your intensive, we'll meet for a consultation and one or more preparation sessions. This gives us time to get to know each other, make sure you're well prepared, and create a plan for the intensive itself.
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No.
EMDR isn't about forcing you to relive painful experiences or pushing you beyond what you're ready for. Throughout the intensive, I'll check in with you often, we'll take breaks whenever they're needed, and you'll always have a say in how we move through the process. My goal is for you to feel engaged in the work, not overwhelmed by it.
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Absolutely.
Many people who come for an EMDR Intensive already have a therapist they value. With your written permission, I'm happy to coordinate with them before or after your intensive so your care feels connected. That might include discussing your goals ahead of time or sharing recommendations that support your ongoing work together.
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EMDR Intensives take place in my private office in Redondo Beach, California.
I've intentionally created a space that feels calm, comfortable, and welcoming. My hope is that when you walk through the door, you'll feel like you can take a deep breath. The office includes comfortable seating, soft lighting, and room to pause, stretch, or move around throughout the day.
For some clients, virtual intensives may also be an option, depending on your location, your goals, and whether virtual EMDR is clinically appropriate.
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That depends on your goals and where you are in the process.
Some people return to weekly therapy after an intensive. Others feel they've accomplished what they hoped to and don't need additional sessions right away. If you're already working with a therapist, we'll talk about how your intensive fits into the work you're already doing. If you're not, we can discuss what might be most helpful moving forward.
If you’re curious whether an EMDR Intensive is right for you, a complimentary 15-minute consultation is a great place to start — we’ll talk through what you want to work on, answer your questions, and decide together whether this approach feels right.
Let's Connect!
Ready for Focused, Uninterrupted Time?
A complimentary 15-minute consultation gives us a chance to discuss what you want to work on, answer your questions, and decide together whether this approach feels right for you.
If we decide to move forward, we'll create a plan that feels thoughtful, supportive, and tailored to your needs, so you know what to expect at every step.