Are There Intensive Trauma Therapy Programs in Pennsylvania?
Yes, there are intensive trauma therapy programs available in Pennsylvania. These programs are designed to help individuals process trauma more efficiently than traditional weekly therapy, particularly when talk therapy alone hasn’t been enough. One option includes EMDR intensive trauma therapy, which uses extended sessions to support deeper trauma processing and nervous system integration in a shorter period of time.
At Grit & Grace Psychotherapy, I offer EMDR Intensive Trauma Therapy in Pennsylvania for adults, first responders, military members, and teens on a case-by-case basis.
What Is Intensive Trauma Therapy?
Intensive trauma therapy is a format of treatment that involves longer, extended therapy sessions over a shorter time frame, rather than one hour per week. This approach allows clients to stay engaged in the work long enough for meaningful processing and integration to occur.
For many people, trauma does not resolve through insight alone. Intensive formats create the time and continuity needed for the nervous system to complete responses that were interrupted during traumatic experiences.
What Is EMDR Intensive Trauma Therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based trauma therapy used to help the brain reprocess distressing memories so they are no longer experienced as happening in the present.
In an intensive format, EMDR is provided through extended sessions across one or multiple days. This allows for greater momentum, less disruption between sessions, and deeper integration of both cognitive and somatic components of trauma.
EMDR intensives are especially effective for trauma that is stored in the body, including intrusive images, smells, sensations, and emotional reactivity that persist despite understanding what happened.
Who Are Trauma Intensives Best For?
EMDR intensives may be a good fit for individuals who:
Have tried talk therapy and feel they understand their trauma intellectually, but still feel it in their body
Are adults seeking focused, short-term trauma treatment
Are first responders or military members with critical incident exposure
Have experienced single-incident or complex trauma
Grew up with addiction, abuse, neglect, or chronic instability
Are motivated for change and open to somatic-based work
Teens may be considered for intensives on a case-by-case basis, depending on clinical need, readiness, and appropriate supports.
EMDR Intensive Trauma Therapy in Pennsylvania at Grit & Grace Psychotherapy
Grit & Grace Psychotherapy LLC provides EMDR intensive trauma therapy services in Pennsylvania. My work focuses on adults, first responders, military members, and teens when clinically appropriate.
My approach is grounded in momentum, nervous system regulation, and integration. In an intensive format, we don’t have to repeatedly open and close trauma work week after week. Instead, we are able to stay with the process long enough for meaningful shifts to occur.
Why an Intensive Format Works When Weekly Therapy Hasn’t
Many intensive clients come in saying the same thing: “I know what happened. I’ve talked it through. But my body didn’t get the memo.”
Weekly therapy can be incredibly helpful, but for some people it doesn’t allow enough time to fully engage the nervous system and complete trauma processing. Intensives offer continuity, focus, and the ability to build momentum without interruption.
A lot of my intensive clients don’t need more insight — they need integration and movement.
What Makes My Approach Different
I am not a rigid, highly structured, clock-watching therapist. My style is flexible, responsive, and guided by what emerges in the room.
Intensive work with me often includes somatic components. Sometimes that looks like movement, yelling, punching, fighting, or running — done intentionally and safely. These are actions the body was not able to complete during the original trauma, and allowing them now can create powerful new meaning and resolution.
I draw from multiple modalities, including EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, parts work, and somatic approaches. If something new emerges during an intensive, we follow it rather than forcing a predetermined plan.
Structure of EMDR Intensives at Grit & Grace Psychotherapy
All EMDR intensives include:
1-Hour Pre-Intensive Session
Clarifying goals, mapping targets, and setting a pace that fits your nervous system.
Full-Day or Multi-Day Intensive Sessions
Personalized, focused trauma processing without rushing or clock-watching.
Personalized Regulation & Integration Tools
Skills identified and practiced to support safety during and after processing.
Standardized Assessments
PCL-5, PHQ-9, and BAI completed before and after to track meaningful progress.
Resources for Continued Integration
Practices and tools to support ongoing nervous system regulation after the intensive.
Current formats include:
7-Hour Intensive – $2,100
13-Hour Intensive – $3,900
Safety, Pacing, and When We Slow Down
Flooding can happen in trauma work, and it is something I plan for rather than avoid. Regulation skills are identified and practiced ahead of time so they can be used if needed.
If a client becomes overwhelmed or something unexpected emerges, we slow down, pivot, and return to regulation. Slowing down is not a failure — it is part of ethical, effective trauma care.
This approach is especially important when working with first responders and military members, where the nervous system has often been conditioned to push through at all costs.
Who an EMDR Intensive Is Not a Good Fit For
EMDR intensives are not recommended for everyone. I typically do not recommend intensives for individuals who are:
In active crisis
In early sobriety
Without foundational coping or regulation skills
Feeling external pressure to “fix it fast”
Readiness and safety always come before speed.
Outcomes Clients Often Report After an Intensive
Clients often report:
Fewer or no nightmares
Reduced hypervigilance and feeling less on edge
Relief from intrusive images, smells, or sensory memories
Increased insight and self-compassion
One phrase I hear frequently is:
“I know it happened, but it’s not happening now.”
Are There Intensive Trauma Therapy Programs Available in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Intensive trauma therapy programs are available in Pennsylvania. Grit & Grace Psychotherapy offers EMDR intensive trauma therapy for adults, first responders, military members, and teens on a case-by-case basis, using a focused, nervous-system-informed approach to trauma treatment.
Next Steps
If you are exploring whether an EMDR intensive may be a good fit, you can learn more or complete an interest form to determine next steps. An intensive is not about rushing the work — it’s about doing it safely, intentionally, and with enough time for real integration to occur.
