Intensify Your Income: How Integrating Therapy Intensives Can Lead to a Six-Figure Practice

If you’re feeling overworked and underpaid as a therapist—or simply longing for a more sustainable, lucrative way to serve your clients—know that you’re not alone. 

Many of us went into this profession driven by empathy and a passion for helping, only to find ourselves bumping up against income ceilings that don’t reflect the true value we bring to our clients’ lives. It can be frustrating, even disheartening. 

But here’s the good news: there’s a way to break through those barriers without sacrificing the quality of care (or your own well-being).

Intensives are a proven, efficient path to building a six-figure practice while offering clients profound, accelerated results. Let’s explore how integrating this powerful service can revolutionize both your income and your impact.

What Are Intensives?

Intensives offer an immersive approach that accelerates progress and deepens insight in a condensed time frame—often within 2–3 days. Instead of stretching sessions out over months, you collaborate with clients in a highly focused setting that can facilitate rapid, transformative change. 

Clients benefit from the concentrated attention, and you benefit from a more predictable, robust income stream.

Why Integrate Intensives?

1. Increased Revenue

Intensive therapy commands higher fees than standard hourly sessions, reflecting the unique value and expertise you provide. The results speak for themselves—clients are investing in an accelerated path to transformation. By bundling services and offering strategic add-ons, you can further increase your income without overextending your schedule.

2. Efficient Use of Time

A typical 3-day intensive covers 18 clinical hours. Adding two days of aftercare (12 clinical hours) comes to about 30 hours of work in a week where you’re running an intensive. That means you can earn significantly more in fewer hours while still delivering high-quality care. 

Plus, all of your attention can be focused on just one client instead of spread out over the equivalent 30 traditional client sessions.

3. Differentiation and Expertise

Offering intensives sets you apart from other therapists in your community. You become known for providing a specialized, immersive experience that caters to clients looking for immediate, transformative results. 

It’s like standing out in a sea of standard therapy sessions by offering a VIP-level service.

4. Streamlined Packages

When you deliver an all-inclusive experience—like a resort that bundles meals, lodging, and activities into one package—clients have a clear and compelling reason to say “yes.” It feels less transactional and more like a comprehensive solution. This approach can also reduce no-shows and cancellations, since clients have committed to a dedicated chunk of time.

(Psst, you can learn more about how therapy intensives benefit both clients and clinicians by downloading The Intensive Method Handbook.)

If it seems too good to be true, then I probably need to clarify some things. Intensives aren’t for everyone—it takes the right kind of clinician and the right kind of client to make for a successful experience. Intensives are hard work for both parties, but the rewards on the other side are huge. 

That’s why they cost more money—your investment in your client’s life is worth their investment in you.

Maximizing Your Income with Intensives

Once you’ve decided you want to offer intensives, the next question is frequently regarding how much you should charge. We cover how to price and package your intensive in-depth in our online course, The Intensive Method, but here are some basic steps you’ll need to take to make sure you’ve priced your intensive program properly.

1. Evaluate Your Financial Goals

Get crystal clear on your objectives.

• How much do you want to earn annually?
• How many weeks do you want off each year?
• How many intensives per month feel sustainable for your practice and lifestyle?

Use these numbers to set your fee structure. Start by looking at your current hourly rate, the hours you work each week, and any revenue lost to insurance so you know your baseline. From there, calculate how integrating intensives could help you surpass your target.

2. Calculate Your Fees Strategically

Justify your value.

• Factor in your qualifications, experience, and any advanced training or certifications.
• Consider your overhead: office rent, utilities, insurance, licensing fees, marketing expenses, and administrative staff.
• Remember to count the time you spend preparing, delivering the intensive, and providing follow-up care.

Don’t hesitate to charge accordingly for specialized knowledge—clients who choose intensives understand the premium experience they’re getting.

3. Highlight Your Expertise

Your credibility is your calling card. Make it clear why you’re the right therapist to offer intensives:

• Specialized Modalities: CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, Schema Therapy—whatever tools you excel at, let clients know.
• Professional Certifications: Trauma-informed care, substance abuse counseling, sex therapy, family therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, or eating disorder specialization—each area of expertise can justify higher rates.
• Advanced Education: Highlight advanced degrees or specialized training in neuroscience, psychopharmacology, or any other niche that boosts your credibility.

4. Offer Add-Ons and Supplemental Services

Beyond your core 2–3 day intensive, think about additional ways to serve clients:

• Extra Intensive Days: Provide more time for clients with complex needs.
• Weekend Retreats: Reinforce newly learned skills and build community.
• Follow-Up Plans: Create personalized aftercare packages for ongoing support.
• Holistic Wellness: Integrate mindfulness exercises, expressive arts, or experiential activities that deepen the therapeutic work.
• Nutrition Counseling: Consider partnering with or becoming certified in nutritional guidance to support emotional and physical well-being.

5. Consider Offering Accommodations

For the right clientele, on-site lodging can significantly boost your income and create a fully immersive experience:

• Comfort and Convenience: Allow clients to stay in a nurturing environment that supports their healing process.
• Tax-Deductible: Property, utilities, and some amenities can be considered business expenses.
• Professional Considerations: Make sure you’re prepared with the proper licenses, insurance, and staffing. Quality always counts, especially when clients are investing at a higher level.

A Practical Income Projection

Let’s do a quick hypothetical math check:

• Basic Intensive Fee: Let’s assume your current hourly rate is $100. If that’s all you charged (not factoring in any kind of additional fees for the concentrated time or your expertise,) that factors out to $3,000 for a 3-day intensive (18 clinical hours), plus two follow-up days (12 hours).
• Monthly Intensives: If you conduct 2 intensives a month, that’s $6,000 from intensives alone—and you’re working roughly 60 clinical hours in total.
• Annual Projection: Just with 2 intensives a month, you’re already at $72,000 per year, not counting your standard therapy hours or any additional add-ons.

See how quickly that can climb if you decide to take on 3 or 4 intensives per month, or raise your fees to match your expertise?

Getting Started with Intensives

If you’re ready to elevate your income and supercharge your clients’ therapeutic progress, integrating intensives is the next logical step. Here’s what you can do right now:

1. Nail Down Your Specialty: Decide what unique niche or expertise you want to highlight.
2. Plan Your Pricing and Packages: Factor in overhead costs, your desired income, and how many intensives you can comfortably host each month.
3. Identify Add-On Services: Map out a plan for supplemental or ongoing support like weekend retreats, personalized aftercare, or group sessions.
4. Create a Marketing Game Plan: While web presence and social media are important, the heart of your pitch is your expertise and the promise of transformative, accelerated results.

It’s time to move beyond the ceiling of hourly billing and embrace the abundance that intensives can bring. By applying The Intensive Method, you’ll not only boost your annual earnings, but also give clients a life-changing experience that builds your reputation, credibility, and reach.

Want more details on how to set up your own therapy intensives? Don’t forget to check out The Intensive Method Handbook for more information about intensive practices. Here’s to matching your income with your impact and finally stepping into the practice you’ve always envisioned!