Chris McDonald - Path to Hope Counseling

What It Really Feels Like to Be in a Therapy Intensive

Many people are curious about therapy intensives, yet one question sits quietly underneath all the others: What does it actually feel like? Will it be overwhelming?Too intense?Emotionally exhausting? These are important questions—especially if you’re already feeling fragile, tired, or unsure how much more you can hold. The truth is, a well-guided therapy intensive does not […]

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How Yoga and Somatic Practices Deepen the Intensive Experience

Integrating somatic practices can bring transformation. Healing isn’t just about talking—it’s about feeling, breathing, and reconnecting with your body. That’s why yoga and somatic practices can transform the therapy intensive experience. When you have the spaciousness of several hours together, your nervous system finally has time to shift out of doing and into being. There’s

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The Healing Power of Focused Time: Why Intensives Help You Go Deeper, Faster

Many issues related to anxiety and depression can work well for a therapy session. But deep healing doesn’t always follow a schedule. It can be challenging to go too deep in a typical 50 minute sessions especially for deeper issues related to trauma. There just is not enough time. Plus it is a struggle to

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When Weekly Therapy Isn’t Enough: How to Know If You’re Ready for a Therapy Intensive

When Weekly Therapy Isn’t Enough: How to Know If You’re Ready for a Therapy Intensive Have you ever felt like you keep circling the same issues in therapy—and not making more progress, and feeling stuck? How do you know if weekly therapy isn’t enough? Weekly sessions can be incredibly supportive, but sometimes the pace of

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Facing the Fears That Come with Setting Boundaries

Facing the Fears That Come with Setting Boundaries Setting boundaries sounds simple—“just say no” or “tell them how you feel”—but for many people, even the thought of setting a boundary brings up fear. These fears are real, and they often come from past experiences, patterns in relationships, or internal beliefs we’ve carried for years. If

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You’re Not a Burden: The Importance of Reaching Out for Help

Life can be challenging often on a day to day basis. It can be difficult to find ways to cope with it all. You may struggle to reach out for help from family or friends, believing you should figure it out on your own. Or maybe its really a struggle to find the courage to

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Understanding the Different Types of Boundaries (and How to Start Setting Them)

When we talk about boundaries, most people immediately think about saying “no.” And while that’s one powerful form of a boundary, there are actually several different types that shape how we interact with ourselves and the world around us. If you’ve ever felt drained after certain conversations, resentful when someone crosses a line, or stretched

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The Importance of Setting Boundaries for Your Mental Health

If you’ve ever said “yes” when you wanted to say “no,” taken on more than you could handle to avoid letting someone down, or ignored your own needs to keep the peace, you’re not alone. When we always say “yes” to every request from others, we end up saying “no” to our own needs and

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What to Expect During Your First Therapy Intensive: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve never done a therapy intensive before, the idea might feel exciting… and maybe a little intimidating. You might be wondering: What will we actually do? Will it be exhausting? Will I be ready? How will this be different from a regular weekly session? What if I get overwhelmed? This step-by-step guide will walk

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Why Choose a Therapy Intensive Instead of Weekly Sessions? 5 Benefits You should kNOW

If you’ve been in weekly therapy before, you know the rhythm — 53 minutes together, just enough time to check in, unpack a few moments from your week, and start touching on deeper work… and then the session ends. For many people, that pace works beautifully. But for others — especially if you feel stuck

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