Accelerated Resolution Therapy Intensives in Syracuse, NY | Joy Strickland, LMHC
Accelerated Resolution Therapy
You know why it still gets to you.
Your body apparently missed the meeting.
You’ve talked about it. Thought about it. Maybe even spent years understanding exactly where the pattern came from.
And yet one memory, one tone of voice, or one situation can still bring the whole thing rushing back.
An ART Intensive gives us focused time to work directly with the memory, trigger, or experience that still has more power over your life than you want it to.
Not because you need to understand it better.
Because you’re ready for something to change.
You’re Functioning.
That Doesn’t Mean You’re Free From It.
Maybe nobody looking at your life would know.
You go to work. You show up for class. You answer the text. You keep plans. You get things done.
But underneath all of that:
- You can explain exactly what happened, and your body still reacts like it’s happening again.
- Someone uses a certain tone and your stomach drops before you even know why.
- You replay conversations long after everyone else has moved on.
- You know the pattern came from your family, your relationship, or that particular experience.
- Knowing hasn’t stopped you from repeating it.
- You avoid certain memories because you don’t want to lose the rest of the day to them.
- You keep telling yourself it wasn’t “bad enough” to still affect you this much.
- You’ve gotten very good at looking okay while working surprisingly hard to stay okay.
That last part is exhausting.
Insight matters. But insight and relief are not the same thing.
You can understand why the alarm keeps going off and still want help turning it down.
What Accelerated Resolution Therapy Actually Is
Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or ART, is a structured form of trauma treatment that uses guided eye movements while you work internally with a specific memory, image, feeling, or physical response.
One of the things people appreciate about ART is that the work does not depend on telling me every detail of what happened.
We identify what you want to change, notice what happens in your body when the memory comes up, and work through a structured process designed to change your relationship with what you have been carrying.
The goal isn’t to erase your history.
You still know what happened.
What we are working to change is how much power that memory has when it shows up today.
How ART is different from EMDR
EMDR
More associative
We follow what emerges during processing and allow the work to move where it needs to go.
It can feel flexible, exploratory, and organic.
It is thorough and it is well established, and it is largely unpredictable session to session.
ART
More structured
We work through a defined sequence with a specific target and an intentional closing process.
Sessions are built to close rather than to stay open between appointments.
It can appeal to people who like knowing there is a clear structure and direction.
Which One Is Better?
Neither.
I’m trained in both, and I don’t have a favorite child here.
The right approach is the one that fits what you are bringing in.
You do not need to diagnose yourself from my website or arrive knowing which therapy you need.
That’s part of my job.
If I believe EMDR, weekly therapy, another intensive format, or another provider would serve you better, I’ll tell you.
That kind of honesty matters to me.
What an ART intensive looks like
1
We figure out whether this is actually the right work.
15 minutes
We start with a free 15-minute consultation. You tell me what you want help with. I ask questions. We decide whether ART and the intensive format make sense for what you’re carrying.
If they don’t, I’ll tell you.
2
We get specific.
Before the intensive, we meet for a full pre-intensive session.
We identify what you want to work on, what tends to activate it, what you notice in your body, and what you want to be different afterward.
You are not walking into a two-hour appointment cold.
We already know where we’re going.
3
we give the work room.
Your ART Intensive is a private, uninterrupted two-hour session.
No watching the clock because we finally got somewhere at minute 47.
No opening something important and immediately having to close it again because the next appointment is waiting.
We have time to stay with the work.
4
we integrate what changed.
Afterward, we meet again.
We look at what feels different, what still has charge, what surprised you, and what you want to carry forward.
Because the goal isn’t to have one powerful therapy appointment.
The goal is for something to be different when you go back to your actual life.
This is More Than a Two-Hour Appointment.
An ART Intensive is intentionally different from booking a longer therapy session.
We prepare before we begin so your intensive is not spent figuring out what to work on.
We have enough uninterrupted time to stay with the work instead of stopping because the clock says fifty minutes.
And we meet afterward to help you integrate what shifted into the rest of your life.
Your intensive includes:
- A free 15-minute consultation
To make sure ART and the intensive format are appropriate for what you want help with.
- A 60-minute Pre-Intensive Interview
We clarify your history, target, current triggers, goals, and what you want to be different.
- A personalized pre-intensive workbook
So you can begin preparing before the intensive rather than starting from scratch when you arrive.
- Your private two-hour ART Intensive
Focused, uninterrupted treatment time centered on the issue we identified together.
- A personalized roadmap
Clear next steps based on what emerges from the work.
- A 50-minute follow-up session
To review what changed, what still needs attention, and how the work is showing up in your actual life.
Investment
$850
Weekday, evening, and weekend scheduling available.
Private pay. You receive a Good Faith Estimate before you book.
If you have out-of-network benefits, I can provide a superbill.
Insurance has no code for sessions this long, so expect partial reimbursement, not full.
This is private-pay, specialized treatment designed for someone who wants dedicated time and a focused therapeutic experience rather than simply adding another open-ended weekly appointment to the calendar.
You are not expected to know from reading a webpage whether this is the right investment for you.
That is what the consultation is for.
We can talk about what you want to change, whether ART makes clinical sense for it, and whether an intensive is the right next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I have to talk about everything that happened?
No. I need to know enough to guide the protocol, which is roughly what we are targeting and where you feel it. The details stay yours.
Will I forget the memory?
No. The goal is not to erase your memory. You still know what happened. What may change is the emotional, physical, or sensory response attached to remembering it.
Is ART the same as EMDR?
They share some similarities, including the use of eye movements, but they are different approaches. ART is generally more structured and directive, while EMDR tends to allow processing to unfold more associatively. I am trained in both and can help determine which approach makes more sense for you.
Do I need to be in weekly therapy?
Not necessarily. We will talk during your consultation about what support you currently have and what would make sense
before and after an intensive.
How is this different from what I did in weekly therapy?
Weekly therapy is usually about understanding.
ART is about changing the physical response. They are different jobs and one does not replace the other.
Can one intensive fix everything?
Probably not, and I would be suspicious of anyone promising that. An intensive is designed to focus deeply on a particular target, memory, trigger, or pattern. Some people experience meaningful change quickly. Others discover that the intensive is one important part of a larger treatment process.
What if I get overwhelmed during the session?
You stay awake, oriented, and in charge the entire time. Eye movement sets are brief and we talk between them. You can slow down or stop at any point. The protocol is built so that you are directing the work, not enduring it.
What if I’m nervous?
That makes sense.
Trauma treatment should not feel like something being done to you. We will talk through the process beforehand, identify what helps you feel grounded, and make sure you understand what we are doing before we begin.
You Don’t Need to Keep Proving You Can Live With It.
Maybe you can live with it.
You probably already are.
The better question is whether you still want to.
You know the life you’re trying to move toward.
More ease.
Less second-guessing.
Relationships that don’t require you to disappear inside them.
Memories that feel like memories instead of warnings.
A body that doesn’t have to stay on alert for something that already happened.
You already know where you want to go.
Let’s see whether ART can help you close some of the distance between where you are and where you want to be.