Individual Therapeutic Retreats
What is an individual therapeutic retreat?
Life can really weigh us down sometimes. Reaching out for therapy can feel like a bold, big, vulnerable step.
Sometimes, though, it can feel like too much is on the line to meet weekly or biweekly for months. A Therapeutic Retreat, also called “intensive therapy” and “marathon therapy,” is a targeted intervention to focus on one or two areas of your life.
If this sounds like you, an individual therapeutic retreat may be right for you.
What can we work on?
There are many topics that can be addressed in therapeutic retreats.
Maybe you want to learn how to feel your emotions, figure out how to navigate a difficult parent relationship, increase self-compassion, connect to your sexual self, stop shouting at the kids, get a head-start on understanding and working with your attachment, set healthier boundaries, work through a stuck place sexually, or get to the bottom of a painful relationship pattern.
Topics we can work through in individual retreats:
- anxiety
- meditation/mindfulness
- depression
- sexual struggles
- grief
- attachment
- parenting
- ADHD management
- and more
My Story
I’ve been working in mental health for the last seventeen years and have been focused specifically on outpatient therapy for the last ten years. You may have noticed that each time you meet with a therapist, it can take a few minutes to warm up: you update the therapist on your life in the last few weeks and decide what to talk about today. There are also a few minutes at the end to wrap up and schedule future sessions. This leaves only about 20-30 minutes each session to dig into the delicious meat of the work, which can feel frustrating for clients and therapists alike!
What if there was another way?
What will we do?
Therapeutic are as individual as the people who attend. Each retreat will focus on one or two issues. Some interventions that can be included are:
- Psychoeducation on the brain
- Learn or strengthen Meditation tailored to your treatment goals
- Learn new skills
- Connecting to a sexual self
- Inner-child work
- Parenting skills/attachment work
- Identify core patterns that keep you stuck
- Learn how to interrupt unhelpful patterns and create new ones
- Practices during sessions and between sessions to find a new way
- A plan of action moving forward
Assessment
We’ll start with an assessment and treatment planning session. The intake is two hours long and will help me get to know you better. The better I know you, the better I can support you. Come prepared with your most honest, authentic, vulnerable self. You’ll also be given a variety of assessments to complete. We’ll follow up with a 55-minute session to clarify treatment goals for the retreat.
The Retreat
The Retreat itself can be 1. Full-Day, 2. Two-Day, or 3. Half-Days. Full days are done on Fridays, from 9 am to 3 pm, with a one-hour lunch break (5 hours). Two-day sessions are done on Fridays & Saturdays, and run from 9 am to 3 pm, with an hour break for lunch (10 hours). Half-day sessions are on three days, at least a week apart, from 9 am to 1 pm (12 hours).
Aftercare
Like any good experience, aftercare is necessary. This can be two sessions at 6 weeks and 12 weeks, two sessions at 3 and 6 months, monthly sessions for 3-6 months, or check-ins as needed.
In the end, you’ll be receiving between 10-17+ of therapy, depending on the retreat chosen.
Ready to get started?
We start with a free 25-minute consultation to see if we’ll be a good fit and to make sure your hopes are in alignment with what an individual retreat can offer. For more information, feel free to check out the FAQs below.
FAQs:
How much do they cost?
The full-day option is $2,500
The two-day option is $3,750
The 3 half-day option is $4,500
What do they include?
Each retreat includes a two-hour assessment session, a one hour treatment planning session, and two follow-up sessions, an hour long. Extra follow-up sessions can be added for a fee. *Clinical hours are 55-minutes long
It also includes the time it takes to thoroughly review of your assessments and treatment plan and create a plan of action for our time during the retreat. An emailed or printed packet for you to keep.
Are sessions online or in-person?
Most of my practice is conducted online, including assessments, treatment planning, and follow-up. However, if in-person is important to you, I work with a local therapeutic shared office space. In-person comes with an added cost of $150 for the full day $300 for the two days and $450 for the 3 half-days.
What can I do to prepare?
Reading is a beautiful way to get started. I’d recommend Mindsight by Daniel Siegel for a better understanding of neuropsychology. I’d also recommend The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris to get acquainted with managing thoughts, feelings, and working with values. Other book recommendations specifically for you will be given at the assessment session. Books will also likely be part of your aftercare plan. Reading opens doors, helps us foster empathy, supports self-reflection, develops thicker cortexes (our higher-order thinking), keeps important self-work top-of-mind, and helps us lead more productive lives. Yes, audiobooks, e-readers, and physical books all count.
Journaling is another beautiful way to prepare. You can journal daily or weekly leading up to the retreat to gain a better perspective on what you’re coming in with, what you’d like support working through, and where you get tripped up. I always recommend journaling that is of your physical sensations, emotions, urges, and the quality of your thoughts. This is very different from the “dear diary” version, where we simply regurgitate life’s events. Instead, use journaling to gain insight and go deeper into your experience. Meditation is complementary to this process.
What is the cancellation policy?
You may cancel up to 30 days in advance and will receive a full refund, less a $100 admin fee. After that, no refunds are offered, but we can reschedule with at least 14 days’ notice.
Will this really make a difference in my life?
Like all things, what we get out of this work is directly correlated to what we put into it. I promise to bring my whole self, including my arsenal of understanding of humans, change, interpersonal neurobiology/neuropsychology, Buddhist psychology, meditation, healthy relationships, and seventeen years in mental health.
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