Weekly Therapy vs Therapy Intensives: Which One Is Best for Managing Anxiety and Trauma Symptoms?
If you’re trying to decide between weekly therapy and a therapy intensive for managing your anxiety and trauma symptoms, I’ve got ya covered! Let’s talk about what each service is for and which one will be most helpful for you.
But first, what therapy is best for anxiety?
This is honestly a bit of a trick question. Research continues to show that the type of therapy you attend isn’t as important as how you feel toward your therapist (aka the therapeutic alliance).
In my own therapy practice, I use Brainspotting and Internal Family Systems (aka parts work) to help clients address their anxiety and trauma. But the reason my clients tend to like working with me is because of who I am as a person.
Why might weekly therapy be better for you?
You prefer a slower (but steady) pace to therapy.
Talking about your innermost thoughts can feel pretty weird. But it gets less weird once you realize that your therapist isn’t judging you and only wants to support you with your goals.
Still, it can take some time to really trust that your therapist is, well, trustworthy. Being able to take things week by week can be helpful for this.
You want more accountability during therapy.
The self-help books you’ve been reading are great, but none of them have the ability to follow up with you to see if you’re actually trying anything out for yourself. But a therapist can!
With my own clients, I regularly check in with them to see if they’ve been experimenting with the techniques we’ve talked about. Because when my clients are able to tell me if they tried something, but it didn’t work well for them, it helps me tweak my recommendations to better meet their needs.
You want consistent support from a reliable source.
The next time someone ruffles your feathers, you’ll be able to say, “Wait ‘til my therapist hears about this!!!” And I’m not even joking.
If you want a place where you can show your therapist screenshots of your text messages and emails, or otherwise get feedback on how to work through anxiety-inducing social interactions, this is where weekly therapy really shines.
A therapy intensive might be a better fit if:
You’ve experienced a recent traumatic event.
And when I say traumatic event, I mean everything from car/motorcycle accidents and assaults, to leaving a racist workplace or experiencing an unexpected death in your family. A therapy intensive can help to prevent longer term symptoms associated with major traumas.
You’ve already been to a ton of therapy for anxiety and trauma and want to do something different.
Even if you had a positive experience with past weekly therapy, it’s understandable if you want to try a different approach. With a therapy intensive, we get right to work. No slow build up, and no rehashing the same small talk from the week before.
You’d prefer to be in therapy for a shorter amount of time.
I know that your time is precious. Just like I know you’re not looking to add another weekly commitment to your calendar. Since a therapy intensive happens over 2-3 meetings, you can be in and out in 2-3 weeks.
What’s the smallest amount of therapy that’s still effective?
Insert clichéd therapist reply of “It depends!” But really, it depends.
I’ve seen folks who’ve attended weekly therapy for 3 months make major progress with their anxiety and trauma symptoms. And I’ve also seen folks get the same results from attending a single therapy intensive.
There are so many factors that go into therapy being effective. Something special tends to happen though when you have a therapist you like, show up to your scheduled sessions as planned, and are motivated to experiment with new ways of approaching your anxiety and trauma.
Looking for an anxiety therapist in Colorado or Oregon who offers weekly therapy and therapy intensives?
You’re in the right place! Jump on over to the service you’re most interested in to learn more (but only if you’re located in Colorado or Oregon–those are the only states I’m licensed to practice therapy in).
To get started with therapy, send in a contact form and I’ll send over a link where you can schedule your free call.
If you live somewhere other than Colorado or Oregon, you’ll need to run a search on ye olde Google for a therapist who’s licensed to practice where you live.
I’m Halle! An anxiety therapist in Colorado and Oregon.
work with adults who are ready for anxiety to stop running (and ruining!) their lives. You can work with me in either 1:1 weekly therapy, or in a therapy intensive.
If you live in either Colorado or Oregon, I’d love to work with you. Book your free intro call to get started!
