Phobia Intensive Therapy With

Focused, personalised therapy combining CBT, exposure and EMDR

Intensives are offered in person or via video

When a phobia is limiting your life, sometimes you want more than a weekly appointment. Our Intensive Phobias Therapy Days provide dedicated therapeutic time to focus specifically on the fear or phobia that is holding you back. Combining Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), carefully planned exposure work and EMDR where clinically appropriate, the therapeutic day is designed around you, your goals and your individual presentation.

Rather than spreading the work across a number of weekly appointments, an intensive workshop creates protected time to understand your phobia, identify what maintains it and begin targeted therapeutic work in a structured and supportive environment.

A combination of CBT and EMDR

Phobias can develop and be maintained in different ways, so therapy should not be a one-size-fits-all approach.

CBT can help us understand the relationship between thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and avoidance behaviours. Where appropriate, we can use graded exposure to help you gradually approach feared situations at a manageable pace, reducing reliance on avoidance and safety behaviours.

For some people, there may also be a distressing experience, memory or traumatic event connected to their fear. Where this is clinically appropriate, EMDR may be incorporated into the intensive to help process distressing memories or experiences that continue to contribute to the fear response.

The combination of approaches allows us to tailor the work to your individual needs rather than following a fixed programme.

What happens during an Intensive Phobias Workshop?

1. Assessment and preparation

We begin with a dedicated assessment and preparation session - 120 minutes/ 2 hours.

This gives us time to understand your phobia, how it affects your life, what you have already tried and what you would like to change.

We will consider:

What situations, objects or experiences trigger your fear
The thoughts, physical sensations and behaviours associated with your phobia
Avoidance and safety behaviours that may be maintaining the fear
Whether there is a significant or distressing experience connected to the phobia
Your current coping strategies and emotional resources
Whether an intensive approach is clinically appropriate
Your goals for the workshop
Together, we will develop an individualised plan for the day.

2. Your Intensive Phobias Day

The intensive provides concentrated therapeutic time dedicated to your specific phobia - 5 hours

Depending on your needs, the day may include:

Psychoeducation about anxiety and phobias
CBT formulation and targeted interventions
Identification of unhelpful thoughts and beliefs
Strategies for reducing avoidance and safety behaviours
Graded exposure exercises
Imaginal or in-session exposure where appropriate
EMDR preparation and processing where clinically indicated
Techniques for managing anxiety and remaining within your window of tolerance
Development of strategies to continue your progress after the workshop
The precise balance between CBT, exposure and EMDR will depend on your assessment and how you respond during the workshop.

3. Structured breaks and therapeutic pacing

An intensive does not mean working continuously without a break.

Planned breaks provide important opportunities to pause, regulate, reflect and allow your nervous system time to settle. We will monitor your response throughout the workshop and adjust the pace where clinically appropriate. The aim is to create focused therapeutic work while ensuring that the process remains safe, collaborative and manageable.

4. Your personalised plan for continuing progress and review session

Before the workshop finishes, we will develop a practical plan for continuing the work beyond the intensive.

This may include further exposure exercises, CBT strategies, behavioural experiments, self-directed practice or additional therapy where appropriate.

The aim is not simply to complete a day, but to help you understand your phobia and have a clear pathway for continuing to work towards your goals. We will also schedule a review session with you to see how you are finding implementing your plan, and evaluating both your wellbeing and goals attainment.

Who might an Intensive Phobias Workshop be suitable for?

An intensive may be worth considering if you:

Have a specific phobia that is significantly affecting your life
Are avoiding situations because of fear or anxiety
Want focused therapeutic time rather than weekly appointments
Have a particular goal you would like to work towards
Have tried to overcome the phobia yourself but continue to feel stuck
Have limited availability because of work, family or other commitments
Prefer an immersive and highly personalised therapeutic experience
Feel ready to engage actively with therapeutic exercises and, where appropriate, exposure work

Examples of difficulties that may be considered include fears relating to animals, flying, driving, needles, medical procedures, vomiting, contamination, heights, enclosed spaces or other specific situations or objects.

Suitability will always be considered individually.

Is EMDR appropriate for every phobia?

No. EMDR is not automatically required or appropriate for every phobia.

For many specific phobias, CBT and exposure-based approaches are an important part of treatment. EMDR may be considered where assessment suggests that distressing memories, experiences or other factors may be contributing to the fear response.

Your assessment will therefore determine which combination of approaches is most appropriate for you.

Your wellbeing comes first

An intensive workshop is not about trying to force change in a single day.

The purpose is to create dedicated time for focused therapeutic work while maintaining an appropriate pace. We will continually consider your response and whether the work remains clinically appropriate.

For some people, an intensive may provide a useful starting point for overcoming a particular fear. For others, it may form part of a longer programme of therapy.

Meaningful change cannot be guaranteed within a particular timescale, and we will always be open about whether an intensive, ongoing therapy or another approach is most appropriate for your needs.

A different way to approach your phobia

Your fear may have been controlling what you do, where you go or the opportunities you feel able to take.

An Intensive Phobias Workshop gives you dedicated therapeutic space to understand your fear and begin working with it in a structured, compassionate and individualised way.

Price for One Day Exclusive Phobia Treatment Day: £1250

Price for Two Day Exclusive Phobia Treatment Day: £1950.