The Benefits of One-Week Trauma Therapy Intensives for PTSD
Trauma is a painful and overwhelming experience that can take a significant toll on our mental health. Fortunately, there are effective treatments available that can help individuals recover from trauma and live a fulfilling life. One such treatment is a one-week trauma therapy intensive program.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who knew from the day I decided to be a therapist at age 12 that I always wanted to focus on helping people heal from trauma, I am constantly trying to find even better ways to help people find healing. Like so many of the people I’ve helped, I’ve seen trauma firsthand. I have seen how debilitating PTSD symptoms can be. And I don’t think it’s fair that trauma survivors often live with the aftereffects of the trauma they suffered for years.
I believe you deserve to feel better faster. I believe you deserve trauma therapy that really, really works. With every fiber of my being, I am making it my mission for Aspire Counseling to help as many people as possible find healing from trauma as quickly as possible.
That’s where our Trauma Therapy Intensives come in.
What are One-Week Trauma Therapy Intensives?
In short, they are a one-week trauma therapy intensive program is an immersive treatment program designed to help individuals overcome PTSD and other trauma-related conditions. This type of program involves intensive therapy sessions that are customized to meet the unique needs of each individual.
At Aspire Counseling, our primary method of treating PTSD during these intensives is called Cognitive Processing Therapy, or CPT. While this method can be delivered in a group setting, we’ve found most of the people we work with who have PTSD much prefer individual therapy. Therefore, at this time our trauma intensives use individual therapy.
During our trauma intensives, you’ll meet with a trained trauma therapist twice a day (Monday-Friday) for 60 minutes each time. You’ll have homework, primarily in the form of worksheets that help you think through and practice the skills learned in session, to complete between sessions. This means after your morning session, you’ll do several worksheets before your afternoon appointment. Then each evening you’ll have more worksheets to complete. Additionally, you’ll have the option of watching a video each day where I teach a specific coping skill that can be helpful as you recover from trauma. And, we have a video each day for an optional mindfulness activity or guided meditation you may find helpful after doing the intense trauma work. I highly encourage you to watch and practice both of those each day. Lastly, each day you’ll be given some scales so we can measure any change in your trauma symptoms.
Why Cognitive Processing Therapy for a Trauma Intensive?
I first learned about CPT in 2017 when I heard the founder of the treatment, Dr. Patricia Resick, speak in St. Louis at a traumatic stress conference. I was amazed by the data she presented on how effective CPT was. I had been using Prolonged Exposure to treat PTSD for a few years and while I loved how effective it was, I had also seen how incredibly difficult it was for clients. Essentially, Prolonged Exposure involves having the client tell the story of their trauma over and over again. It works, but it felt like both the client and I were being put through the wringer at times. When I realized that the data Dr. Resick was sharing clearly demonstrated that CPT was as effective as Prolonged Exposure, I knew I had to start offering this immediately. I spoke to her about the fastest way to get trained, read the book, and signed up for a multi-day training.
Over the last few years, nearly every new clinician who has started working at Aspire Counseling has taken CPT training. And between the clients, I’ve seen and the ones our clinicians have seen, we’ve seen many, many lives transformed. We’ve worked hard to stay true to this incredible treatment and consulted with one another as needed.
Then, in November 2022, I again had a career-changing moment when I again heard Dr. Resick speak. This time, I attended a training where she spoke about CPT being delivered in 1-3 week intensives. Again, she presented her findings with lots of data. Studies that had been done in multiple places by various researchers and clinicians. This data was incredible folks. It showed that CPT can be delivered very effectively in as little as a week or two!
I came home and immediately asked the trauma therapists at Aspire Counseling how we could implement this. And, these trauma intensives were born. The base is one week of an intensive and then we touch base with your regular therapist who continues to see you. In many situations, we’ll recommend a second week and schedule that.
And folks, this works. As I said, you absolutely should continue seeing your regular therapist for at least a while after this to keep the momentum going. But if you’re feeling stuck in your trauma therapy, this is an incredible jump-start to your healing.
Why Participate in this Intensive Trauma Therapy Program?
Get Through Trauma More Quickly
One of the main benefits of a one-week trauma therapy intensive program is that it allows individuals to get through trauma more quickly than traditional therapy. Research has shown that intensive therapy programs can be more effective than traditional weekly therapy sessions and that patients often experience significant improvements in their symptoms in a shorter period of time.
To me, this is the biggest reason to participate. You get through the worst of the treatment faster. You control your life back faster.
Yes, I know it’s a strain to have to take a week or two off of school, work, etc. But I believe the payoff of getting through trauma therapy faster is well, well worth the time (and money) you invest in this.
Lower Drop Out Rate
Another benefit of one-week trauma therapy intensives is that they have a lower dropout rate than traditional therapy. Because these programs are short and intensive, patients are more likely to stick with the treatment and see it through to the end.
In the past, it’s been hard for clients to commit to several months of weekly sessions to finish CPT. And every time a client dropped out before completing treatment, their therapist’s heart breaks just a little bit. Or, when it’s delivered over a couple of months life happens and can pull the attention in sessions away from trauma.
But when we’re working on trauma for just one or two weeks? Especially when you know you’ll return to working with your normal therapist after? It becomes much easier to stay focused on the intensive and show up each day for a shorter period of time.
Get Through the "Hard Part" Faster
The "hard part" of trauma therapy is often the initial phase, where individuals are required to confront painful memories and emotions. When someone experiences trauma, it can take a long time to work through it in therapy. But with trauma therapy intensives, you can get through the most difficult parts of therapy faster. This is because the intensive format allows you to focus all of your attention on the work you're doing with your therapist. You can make significant progress in just a few days or a week, rather than spreading out therapy over several months. Additionally, working through the most challenging aspects of trauma therapy in a concentrated period can help prevent burnout and give you a sense of accomplishment. You can move forward with confidence, knowing that you've tackled the hardest parts of your healing journey.
It Can Give You Hope Again
I’ve found this is wonderful for giving people a sense of hope. Clients often come to us having participated in what I call “therapy as usual” for years. Or maybe they even worked with a specialized trauma therapist but did the usual one-time-per-week counseling sessions. They have a hard time believing they can actually get “better.” And that lack of hope has made it really difficult to show up for counseling.
I’m not going to make this treatment sound easy. It’s actually really, really hard. You’re hyper-focused on the thing you’ve been avoiding: the trauma. At the end of each day, you’ll probably be exhausted. You’ll feel emotionally drained. But it will work.
Perhaps at the end of the week, you’ll barely realize that it “worked” because you just know that you’re sick and tired of talking about what happened. It’s boring to you now. But then you’ll realize that this was FAR from boring when you started talking about it on Monday. And that feeling of being bored with talking about the trauma? That’s what will give you hope. That’s what will help you realize that you can “get over” what happened, or at least grow from it. You’ll never be able to undo the past trauma. But you’ll be able to move forward. And that will give you the hope you need to make moving forward in your life.
Our Therapists Are Seeing Incredible Results
At our trauma therapy intensive program in Lee's Summit, our therapists are seeing incredible results delivering PTSD treatment in this format. Many of our patients have reported significant improvements in their symptoms and quality of life after attending our one-week program. And our own data supports this. During the trauma intensive, we ask that you complete screening measures every day to help us measure your symptoms and progress. Then, we have you fill those same measures out several times afterward for follow-up. The results have been incredibly positive and fully support what I heard in November 2022 which is that this program works. Clients made huge moves toward healing and then maintain that momentum afterward.
Travel for Treatment
If you don't live in the Lee's Summit area, a one-week trauma therapy intensive program can be an excellent option. By traveling for treatment, you can receive top-quality care from experienced trauma therapists and avoid the limitations of local treatment options.
Move Toward Feeling Like Yourself More Quickly
Ultimately, the main benefit of a one-week trauma therapy intensive program is that it can help individuals move toward feeling like themselves more quickly. By providing intensive and personalized treatment in a supportive and nurturing environment, these programs can help individuals overcome trauma and live fulfilling life.
Are You Ready to Start Treating Your PTSD?
If you’re tired of feeling stuck and held back by your PTSD, a one-week trauma therapy intensive program could be the solution you've been looking for. At our intensive program in Lee's Summit, we provide customized, evidence-based treatment in a supportive and compassionate environment. Contact us today by filling out our online form or calling us at 573-328-2288 to learn more about how our program can help you move toward a brighter future.
Not ready for a PTSD Treatment Intensive Yet?
Does this sound great, but you’re not ready to commit to twice a day for a week yet? Or maybe you just can’t take a week off work/school yet? We also offer individual therapy. We can offer in-person counseling services in Columbia or Lee’s Summit, MO. Additionally, we can see clients virtually who live anywhere in the state of Missouri. We help clients move forward after trauma (including offering specialized PTSD treatment for children & survivors of sexual assault) but also offer counseling for depression, grief, and anxiety disorders.
Other Mental Health Supports at Aspire Counseling
Aspire Counseling offers a variety of other mental health supports for people in Missouri. We offer in-person counseling both in Lee’s Summit and Columbia, MO. While we specialize in counseling for anxiety and PTSD treatment, we can help with a wide range of other concerns as well. We generally see children aged 10 through retirement age. And we have therapists with various specialties including disordered eating, depression, grief, gender-affirming care, and OCD treatment.
In addition to our Trauma Therapy Intensive, Aspire Counseling offers many other therapy services related directly to overcoming trauma. These services include the following:
