Therapy Intensives | Allison Guilbault

Extended Sessions for Accelerated Healing

Hello! My name is Allison and I am a Licensed Therapist who specializes in anxiety, trauma and sex & intimacy.

I have four degrees in psychology, mental health, human sexuality and brain science.

I have held positions as a mental health provider and/or researcher at New York University, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Planned Parenthood, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, The Sri Lankan National Institute of Mental Health, and Rikers Island Correctional.

I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, Somatic Processing and Mindfulness. I use a judgement-free, open-minded, client-centered approach, and see clients of all walks of life, including those that are often missed in traditional therapy, such as the queer community, individuals in poly relationships, and clients employed in the sex industry.

In addition to weekly therapy, I offer therapy intensives for clients looking for faster transformation and healing, may have limited time and/or have not had the results they were looking for with traditional therapy.

What is a Therapy Intensive?

Therapy intensive is like a VIP fast-pass to healing. Intensives offer time for a deep dive into treatment, away from interruptions, distractions, and the stop/start of classic weekly therapy. Think of it as a way to get several months of therapy in just a few sessions.

Who are Therapy Intensives for?

Therapy intensive might be great for you if you:

have limited availability
need a lot of flexibility
have not been able to find a weekly therapist
have not seen the results you want from traditional therapy
feel like you aren't getting anywhere with weekly sessions
have a specific issue that you want to hyper focus on
are interested in fast transformation
want to try something new

What type of concerns/issues are addressed in Therapy Intensives?

Just like traditional therapy, there is a wide variety of reasons you might seek an intensive. Among them, clients have used intensives for:

General Anxiety
High-Functioning Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Perfectionism
Negative Self-talk
Poor self-esteem and/or body image
Issues with Sex & Intimacy
Attachment Styles & Childhood wounds

Can Therapy Intensives be more beneficial than traditional therapy?

Therapy Intensives can be more beneficial than traditional therapy because they:

are more solution-driven rather than explorative
reduce treatment time
have a less overall cost (due to less sessions)
work around your schedule
are not focused on daily stressors but hyper-focused on deep, core issues
might employ techniques not offered in traditional therapy such as EMDR, visualizations, and in-session somatic processing

How long are sessions and how many sessions do I need?

The beautiful part of intensives is that it can be what you need it to be.

All clients will be offered a 20-minute consultation to go over logistics and have an opportunity to ask any questions that are not answered on this page.

Following that, you will be required to have a first 90-minute session where I will gather history and we can establish a game plan and set goals and expectations.

Once the initial session is complete, a minimum of two 90-minute sessions will need to be booked, either back-to-back with a half hour break in between, or as two sessions inside of the same week.

Future sessions can be booked at anytime in the future as 90-minute sessions or 3 hours sessions.

What if 3 hours of therapy is too much for me?

Each 3 hour intensive will come with a 30 minute break in between, making it a total of 3.5 hours. The point of the intensives is to cover and process a lot during a small period of time, and I have found that clients get the most out of 3 hours inside of the same day. However, if that feels like too much, I do allow the client to book two 90-minute session as long as they are inside of the same week.

The session structure will also be heavily client-centered, meaning I can adjust the pace according to the comfort and desire of the client.

What are the rates for Therapy Intensives?

Therapy Intensives take more from the clinician (me!), both energetically and logistically. They may also involve techniques that are not utilized in traditional weekly sessions, like EMDR, visualizations, and in-session somatic processing. As such, these sessions are billed at a higher rate than weekly sessions.

(Though important to note: since this dynamic reduces overall time in treatment, most clients find that this option is ultimately significantly more affordable).

Rates for intensives are $550 per 90-minutes for intensives during my therapy workweek (M-F 11-4) and $650 per 90-minute for sessions beyond those hours, including nights and weekends.

As a reminder, intensives are a minimum of 3 sessions: the first 90-minute session followed by one 3 hours session.

Once the first session is confirmed, a 50% deposit of the package price is required.

How many sessions a client needs is highly dependent on the client and their needs, and can be discussed at the first session. Some clients choose to only have those two sessions (total of 4.5 in-session hours), while others prefer a more intensive experience over multiple sessions.

Will insurance cover intensives?

Similar to weekly therapy, I am out-of-network provider. Many of my clients have out-of-network benefits through their insurance and eligible for reimbursement up to 80%.

I am happy to check your plan and provide you specific information your plan.

Should you have access to these benefits, I will provide you what is called a "superbill"that you can submit to your insurance company, or alternatively for 5% of the cost of the package, I can have my billing system, Mentaya, bill it for you. (Note: I get nothing from that fee other than the satisfaction of knowing that clients have additional peace of mind).