Executive Intensive Therapy
in person Tacoma | online WA, OR & UT
Therapy you’re not too busy for.
You can’t keep all the plates spinning; your relationship is limping along. You realize professional and personal success are intertwined.
In the midst of pursuing your professional goals, you’ve lost sight of what you want and who are you beyond the successful professional you appear to be to everyone around you. You can’t keep up the pace you’ve set without losing sight of the reason why you went after your goals to begin with—for a better quality of life.
Success won’t matter when no one’s there to celebrate with you.
Now that you’re at the top, success feels empty when it’s all you have. Along the way, you slowly lost touch with friends and stopped making time for your hobbies. Now the only topic of conversation you can come up with is work. You’ve become a one-dimensional person; you used to be interesting to yourself and others.
You’ve tried weekly therapy, executive coaching, microdosing & CEO retreats.
They’ve all helped some, but they haven’t helped you change at the deepest level—that last 10% evades your understanding. Behavioral approaches like early mornings, affirmations and mindset work aren’t touching the deepest layers of you—the ones that drive all of your decisions, whether you like it or not. You know there’s more of you to dig into and connect with, and what’s waiting on the other side is success without sacrifice.
How It Works
Seattle Executive Intensives are designed for busy professionals who want lasting results.
Executive therapy intensives are tailored to the busy professional. Most therapy intensives span a morning or an afternoon—3 to 4 hours of focused work leading to an understanding of the connection between your unconscious and your work performance—yes, your feelings do matter, and you’re feeling more than you think! You’re going to dive into yourself in a way you’ve never done before, leading to a felt sense of relief, inner clarity & the seeds of hope. You will have an inner knowing of how to succeed at home and at work, rather than another superficial band-aid list of tools & reframes (NVC will only take you so far).
An executive therapy intensive means you don’t have to choose between work & therapy.
There are no shortcuts to success and there are no shortcuts to change. When doing weekly therapy, travel, meetings and hard deadlines compete and win. Your mental health takes a backseat and inconsistent appointments mean you’re taking the long path to insight and change.
As a high-performer, your superpower is your ability to keep going, push through and put mind over matter, and that self-neglect is what’s killing you.
What you’ve lost is a connection between your brain and your body, your thoughts and your feelings. The unseen consequence of your ability to set your mind to something and grind it out, at whatever cost, is a deep, stuck disconnection to your feelings, something that feels as natural as breathing—it’s not natural, it’s automatic. Maybe you feel anxiety or perhaps an inkling that something isn’t right. You think you just don’t have feelings sometimes or that you don’t feel that intensely.
What no other therapist has ever said to you is that that is a lie you tell yourself, so that you don’t have to deal with the pain inside of you. That’s what I call a lifetime lie.
The Approach: Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
Great therapy is something you experience, not an instruction manual.
Why hasn’t therapy worked for me yet?
You asked your therapist for a list of feelings and she gave it to you.
You asked for books on how to communicate better and talked about them, rather than practicing.
You asked him how to do something and he told you.
You showed up with a notebook and started taking notes to keep track of your insights in an important moment, rather than staying present & connected.
You showed up to session and didn’t know what to talk about, so your therapist suggested meeting less frequently. You eventually got “too busy.”
You told your therapist that you didn’t have any feelings and talked about your issues with “calmness” because “it was normal.”
You talked about your childhood trauma with your therapist and you both explored why you react the way you do and what your protectors are there for. You honored them and nothing changed.
What makes ISTDP intensive therapy different?
You will know how you feel because you paid attention to yourself rather than a list of words.
I won’t tell you how to communicate better; you will try and fail with me, instead of hiding behind knowledge.
I won’t teach by telling, I will model and expect you to do it too, because you want to.
I won’t ignore our relationship just because you do or pretend that real learning is anything but experience & practice, repetitively, with full attention & connection.
I won’t fill the session with my ideas when you stop sharing yours or suggest we decrease when you’re showing up to get help.
I won’t accept the lies you tell yourself at face value. I will expect you to show up fully as the feeling human you are, embodied and alive.
We’re not going to waste any time on the “why” or the “how” if we already know the what: what’s the issue, the cause, and the solution. Talking about the way things are doesn’t change the fact that they are. Doing > Talking.
When therapists engage in intellectual distancing with clients, when they follow along with your detached, distant, walled off and passive way of relating, when they suggest scheduling less frequently when you relax on the couch at the beach, looking at the ceiling waves as you tell them your thoughts…they aren’t catching you in the act of distancing. They’re believing the lies you tell yourself, like:
“I feel more connected when we share ideas.” ➡ How will that help you with your lack of emotional connection?
“I don’t have any big feelings right now.” ➡ Nor do you ever!
“I don’t know how I feel.” ➡ So 5-year-olds know more about feelings than you do?
“I’m just not an emotional person.” ➡ What are you then, a robot?
“Can you tell me how to feel?” ➡ Are you saying I need to tell you the stove is hot while your hand is on it?
If you feel called out by what I’m saying, but you haven’t closed the tab yet, you should reach out.
If you want to work with another therapist who stops challenging you when you start arguing, who overworks themselves to try to keep you in therapy, but eventually gets frustrated and suggests you see someone else, they are a dime a dozen. Most therapists try to offer you more when you offer less. But I’m not most therapists, and this isn’t most therapy. I will call you on your bullshit. I’ll try to be nice about it, but when something needs to be said, I promise I’ll say it, even if it gets messy. Because we all lie to ourselves, and I’d like to help you catch yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
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If you’ve made it this far, it’s worth a shot. After all, why do you make so much money if you don’t spend it on yourself? Coffees and massages don’t address lifelong patterns of anxiety, depression and disconnection. If you’re here because your wife/husband/partner told you something needs to change and they want you to start investing in the relationship more or they’re leaving, waiting would increase the chance that they leave. Your noncommittal behavior and lack of seriousness is part of the problem. Schedule an intensive with me here to get started.
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I’m glad you asked! Not to brag or anything, but I am a successful entrepreneur and business owner in my own right, finding success very quickly in a field with a toxic relationship to money, business and success, all while being a transplant with no network, everything I owned in my car and almost no money! I also coach therapists starting and scaling their businesses. Additionally, I combine my own business coaching with personal therapy, so I know what therapy does that business coaching doesn’t, and vice versa. You can check out my approach to business coaching here.
When you’re in my office, that’s where I excel. I’m not intimidated by big personalities, fast talkers or brainiacs. I’m smart and confident. I can meet you on an intellectual level and then guide you to an emotional one.
If you like the Ennegram, I’m an 8. MBTI: INTJ. We’ll get along just fine. Learn more about me here.
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Seattle Executive Intensives can be as short as 3-4 hours and as long as 1 or 2 days (6-7 hours each day). Some people start immediately with 1 or 2 days. Most schedule 3 to 4 hour intensives. You’re welcome to go big immediately or start small and work your way up. The more walled off you are, the longer you’ll need.
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I strongly recommend doing the intensive in person to get the best results. I do almost all of my intensives in person in Tacoma.
That being said, Seattle Executive Intensives are also online for residents of Washington, Oregon and Utah. You must be located in one of these states at the time of service.
My office is located at:
4041 Ruston Way, Suite 202
Tacoma, WA 98407
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Seattle Executive Intensives are not covered by insurance. You are responsible for payment at the time of service.
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I bill intensives at $500/60 minutes.
Intake Appointment (during the week), 100 minutes: $800
All intensives are paid for fully upfront. There are no cancellations. Reschedules may be possible in the case of an emergency, for up to 4 weeks after the original date. Last minutes work trips and meetings do not count as an emergency. We’re talking life or death. I don’t care what the board/your boss says…
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We can if you’d like. You’re welcome to schedule a 100 minute intake appointment with me here.
Most Seattle intensive clients don’t though. They dive right in.
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You schedule more!
All kidding aside, whatever you practiced during the intensive is what you take with you. We’ll recap what you’ve learned before you leave, and I’ll offer you time to take some notes together before you leave.
One intensive isn’t going to be enough if you’re serious about your goals. Most clients schedule follow ups every 6-8 weeks and work with me for 1-2 years. Your desire is what will drive your next step. I’m not the worksheet therapist, but you’re welcome to assign yourself “homework” based on what you learned. You’re in the driver’s seat.
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Sure! Intensives are also really helpful to facilitate a breakthrough or accelerate existing progress. Most clients continue working with me after the fact, but that decision is up to you. It’s not a requirement for me.
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Yes of course! If what you’ve read here resonates with you, I would love to work with you! I work with anyone who is motivated and who resonates with my approach and style. Book an appointment with me here.