How do I know if Lisa Chen & Associates is the right fit for me?

We offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. It's a chance to get to know us, understand our approach, and see if we align with your needs. The purpose of an initial consultation is to determine if you are a good fit for working together. You can expect a 15–20 minute conversation where you will have the opportunity to share your concerns, goals, and what you hope to achieve through therapy. This is also a chance for you to ask questions and get a sense of the therapist's approach and personality.

Our fees range from $180 to $350 per 50-minute session based on the clinician's experience, specialized training, and services provided. Lisa Chen's fees are $350 per 50-minute session for both individual and couples counseling. Licensed Client Session fees are $200 for individual and $225 for couples counseling per 50-minute session. Associate Clinician fees are $180 for individual and $200 for couples counseling per 50-minute session. We also reserve spots for clients requesting a sliding-scale rate to accommodate financial needs.

Do you accept insurance?

Lisa Chen & Associates are out-of-network providers. We provide monthly insurance statements ('Superbills') for you to seek partial reimbursement from your insurance company according to your policy. For questions about your out-of-network benefits, please contact your insurance carrier before scheduling.

What is your cancellation policy?

Weekly clients are allowed 3 free cancellations every 6 months, and bi-weekly clients are allowed 2 free cancellations every 6 months, beginning from the date of your first session. You will be responsible for payment for your normally scheduled session time for all cancelled appointments beyond this. Please provide at least 48 hours' notice for cancellations. You may always choose to reschedule and/or take sessions virtually to accommodate occasional scheduling conflicts.

How often should I expect to meet?

We recommend weekly therapy sessions for optimal progress. However, there are times when clients prefer to meet twice a week for more complex challenges. During your initial phone consultation, let us know if you are interested in more frequent sessions.

Are you offering in-person sessions?

Yes, we are seeing clients in our South Bay office located at 2615 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 326, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. We also offer telehealth sessions for California residents.

How do I get started with counseling?

The first step is to schedule an initial consultation by calling our office or submitting the contact form on our website. This allows us to understand your needs and match you with the best therapist for your situation. From there, we'll work with you to schedule ongoing sessions.

What is IFIO Therapy?

Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO) is an advanced form of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy designed for couples. Developed by Toni Herbine-Blank, IFIO integrates IFS principles—where individuals are seen as having multiple 'parts'—with the relational complexities of couples therapy. Instead of just managing conflict, IFIO helps partners explore emotional triggers, unmet needs, and protective patterns that affect intimacy.

Who Can Benefit from IFIO Therapy?

IFIO is ideal for couples who struggle with recurring conflicts or emotional disconnection, have difficulty with trust, vulnerability, or attachment wounds, feel like past trauma is affecting their relationship dynamics, or want to strengthen emotional intimacy and deepen their connection. It is particularly beneficial for high-achieving professionals, creatives, and highly sensitive individuals (HSPs) seeking more conscious and connected relationships.

How Does IFIO Therapy Work?

Unlike traditional couples therapy that focuses on behavioral change, IFIO delves into the emotional and psychological patterns shaping your relationship. Each partner is supported in recognizing their protective responses—such as withdrawal, defensiveness, or blame—and learning how to cultivate deeper self-awareness and compassion.

What Can We Expect During IFIO Therapy Sessions?

During IFIO therapy sessions, you can expect to: 1. Identify Your Protective Patterns: Understand how your past experiences shape your current reactions and behaviors. 2. Explore Your Emotional Wounds: Gain clarity on deeper emotions hidden beneath conflict or disconnection. 3. Develop a New Relational Framework: Shift from blame to curiosity, connection, and emotional understanding. 4. Strengthen Emotional Intimacy: Rebuild trust and closeness by fostering open communication and self-awareness.

Therapy Intensives

Deep Work. Focused Time. Meaningful Momentum.

Heal Together

Therapy Intensives

Extended sessions designed for accelerated therapeutic progress

What is a Therapy Intensive?

Therapeutic intensives offer an alternative to weekly therapy by providing longer, concentrated sessions that allow for depth, continuity, and focused attention.
This format is ideal for clients navigating complex issues, time constraints, or a desire for meaningful progress in a shorter timeframe.

Learn more about How We Treat

Benefits of Therapy Intensives

Accelerated Insight & Change – Make meaningful progress in days or weeks rather than months.
Focused, Undistracted Work – Step away from daily demands to fully engage in the therapeutic process.
Deeper Emotional Access – Move beyond surface patterns into the core dynamics driving distress.
Breakthrough Moments – Work through stuck places that haven’t shifted in traditional weekly therapy.
Sustained Momentum – Leave with clarity, tools, and a clear path forward—not just insight.

→ Explore EMDR Therapy Intensives

→ Explore Couples Therapy Intensive

Is A Therapy Intensive Right for You?

Intensives may be helpful if you:

Intensives may be helpful if you:
Feel stuck in weekly therapy
Are navigating a major transition or crisis
Want focused relationship repair
Have limited availability and time for consistent therapy
Prefer immersive, depth-oriented work

→ Explore EMDR Therapy Intensives

→ Explore Couples Therapy Intensive

Our Approach to Therapy Intensives

Therapy intensives are not rushed therapy—they are intentional, depth-oriented experiences designed to create space for meaningful change.

Each intensive is carefully planned, collaboratively structured, and responsive to what emerges in the room. Rather than following a preset formula, we design each experience around your goals, emotional readiness, and the specific patterns that need attention. This allows us to move with focus and flexibility, while still honoring the complexity of your inner world or relationship.

Step 1: Pre-Intensive Consultation
Clarify goals, assess patterns, and determine readiness for intensive work.

Step 2: Thoughtful Planning
Design a focused structure that balances depth, pacing, and psychological safety.

Step 3: Extended Sessions
Engage in single-day or multi-day sessions for sustained momentum and deeper access.

Step 4: Integration & Regulation
Ensure insights are grounded, embodied, and emotionally manageable.

Step 5: Follow-Up Planning
Leave with clarity, integration tools, and a clear path forward.

Why Choose Lisa Chen for Therapy Intensives?

Throughout my years as a therapist, I’ve worked with individuals and couples who were insightful, motivated, and deeply invested in change, yet frustrated by how slowly progress could unfold in weekly therapy. Beneath that frustration was often a clear sense of urgency: something needed to shift, and it needed space to do so.

My training in depth-oriented, trauma-informed approaches, including psychodynamic therapy, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems, showed me what becomes possible when time, focus, and emotional safety are intentionally expanded. Therapy intensives allow us to slow down, go deeper, and stay with the work long enough for real integration.

Today, I offer intensives for high-achieving professionals, creatives, and highly sensitive individuals who are ready for meaningful change without stretching the process over months or years. Intensives are not about rushing healing. They are about creating the right conditions for clarity, regulation, and lasting internal shifts.

This work is deliberate, relational, and carefully paced, designed for those ready to engage fully in the therapeutic process.

Work with Me

Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy Intensives

Yes. Intensives are offered in person and via telehealth, depending on format.
A therapeutic intensive involves extended sessions—often several hours or multiple days—to allow for deeper, uninterrupted work.
Intensives are helpful for individuals or couples seeking depth, momentum, or focused attention on complex or time-sensitive issues.
No. Intensives can be used for both individual therapy and couples therapy.
For some clients, yes. Others use intensives alongside or in addition to weekly therapy.
We are an out-of-network practice, meaning we do not bill insurance directly. However, we can provide superbills for potential reimbursement.
Intensives may incorporate psychodynamic therapy, EMDR, IFS, Gottman, or IFIO depending on goals.
A consultation helps determine whether an intensive format fits your needs and readiness.
Schedule one now.

Curious whether an intensive is right for you?

Learn More

Therapy Intensives

Deep Work. Focused Time. Meaningful Momentum.

Therapy Intensives

Extended sessions designed for accelerated therapeutic progress

What is a Therapy Intensive?

Benefits of Therapy Intensives

Is A Therapy Intensive Right for You?

Our Approach to Therapy Intensives

Why Choose Lisa Chen for Therapy Intensives?

Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy Intensives

Do you offer intensives in Hermosa Beach?

What is a therapeutic intensive?

Who benefits most from therapeutic intensives?

Are intensives only for couples?

Can intensives replace weekly therapy?

Do you accept insurance?

What approaches are used during intensives?New Item

How do I know if an intensive is right for me?

Curious whether an intensive is right for you?