You understand it. You still feel it.
Sarah is currently taking new clients for EMDR intensives in 2027.
EMDR Intensives
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing
with Sarah Wills
EMDR is a structured trauma therapy that helps your brain process memories that feel stuck, so they stop hitting you with the same force.
We use eye movements or tapping while you hold a memory in mind. You stay present and in control the whole time. This isn't about reliving it. It's about finally feeling safe enough to move through it.
EMDR is one of the therapies recommended for PTSD in the Australian PTSD Guidelines and in the American Psychological Association's clinical practice guideline. It's well researched, evidence-based work.
Why a whole day?
Weekly therapy has its place. But so many women spend weeks opening something up, only to close it again at the 50-minute mark and drive home to make dinner.
An intensive is different. We have time. Time to build safety first, time to go at the pace your body needs, and time to settle before you leave. No stop-start, breaks and regulation built into the day, and space to land before you head home.
Most of my intensives are held at Jilliby on the NSW Central Coast, and I travel around Australia through the year to run them closer to you. This isn't about rushing your healing. It's about finally making room for it.
Sarah Wills
INTRODUCING
PSYCHOLOGIST
I'm a registered psychologist and EMDR therapist, and intensives are the heart of my work. I've run over 100 face-to-face, full-day EMDR intensives, and I still feel honoured every single time someone trusts me with a whole day of their story.
I came to psychology at 40, after 15 years in corporate leadership. I know what it's like to look completely fine on the outside while running on empty underneath. I have ADHD, I swear a bit, and I won't be sitting across from you with a clipboard. I'll be right there with you, steady and warm, paying attention to what your nervous system needs.
Registered psychologist (AHPRA). Member, EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAA). Relational, trauma-informed and neuro-affirming.
Is an intensive for you?
An intensive might be worth exploring if you:
• have a specific memory or event that still has a hold on you
• are carrying something from adult life, like work-related or vicarious trauma (first responders and health workers, I see you)
• have been through medical trauma
• are living with a loss or grief that hasn't softened
• keep bumping into old patterns from childhood or attachment
• feel stuck in weekly therapy, or ready to go deeper than 50 minutes allows
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This list is a starting point, not an assessment. Whether an intensive is right for you, right now, is something we work out together in your suitability session.
How it works
1. Fill in the form at the bottom of this page. Tick EMDR intensives and tell us a little about what's bringing you here.
2. Book your suitability session. A 50-minute online session ($275, separate from the intensive fee) where we talk about what you'd like to work on, your history and supports, and whether an intensive is the right fit right now.
3. Book your intensive. If it's a yes, you can book straight after. You pay in four instalments and receive a preparation guide.
4. Your intensive. A contained, paced day (or days), with breaks, grounding and regulation built in. We build your resources first, before any deep processing begins.
5. Afterwards. Most people book a follow-up session ($275) to help it settle, based on what they need. From there you can keep going with regular sessions or further intensives, whatever fits at the time.
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And if EMDR isn't quite right yet? That's okay. Sometimes the kindest thing is to build more safety first. We can still do a full-day therapy intensive, shaped around what you need. That might be nervous system regulation, parts work, schema therapy, CBT, or a mix. It doesn't have to be EMDR to be deep, meaningful work.
​Choose the Intensive that Suits Your Needs
5-Hour Intensive
One focused day, in person at Jilliby or online. Open to new clients after a suitability session. Investment: $2,499.
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Staying at Jilliby: accommodation is available at an additional cost of $200 for one night or $300 for two nights, with access to the ice bath.
EMDR Intensive Payment Schedule
To make things simple, your total fee is split into four equal instalments of 25%, spread from the time you book until four weeks before your intensive. It secures your place and spreads the cost, while giving us time to prepare everything for you.
Funding: private health usually covers part of the cost of an intensive. NDIS participants and DVA card holders may be able to get funding for part or all of an intensive, depending on their plan. There's a space on the form below to ask us about it.
Frequently Asked Questions
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy that helps people recover from trauma and distressing life experiences. It works by using bilateral stimulation, often through guided eye movements, to process traumatic memories and reduce their emotional impact.
An intensive gives you longer sessions over a short period, so there's no week-long gap between opening something up and working through it. We have time to build safety, process at your pace, and settle before you leave.
EMDR is most researched for PTSD and trauma. It's also used for distressing memories, grief and loss, medical trauma, and patterns that grow out of hard early experiences. We'll talk about whether it fits what you're dealing with in your suitability session.
There are a few options: a 5-hour intensive (one day), a 10-hour intensive (over two days) and a 15-hour intensive (over three days), plus two- and three-day couples intensives. We'll work out together which length suits what you'd like to work on.
Everyone new starts with a 50-minute online suitability session ($275). If an intensive is a good fit, you can book any of the intensive options straight after. It keeps you safe and makes sure we're using your time and money well.
Most intensives are held at Jilliby on the NSW Central Coast, where accommodation is available if you'd like to stay. The 5-hour intensive can also be done online. Sarah travels around Australia through the year too, so if you can't get to Jilliby, let us know where you're based on the form and we'll add you to the travel list.
We start by checking in and grounding. Then we move through EMDR processing in paced blocks, with breaks, food and regulation along the way, and close gently before you leave. You stay in control the whole time, and we can pause whenever you need.
We recommend getting plenty of rest before the session and bringing comfortable clothing and any personal items that help you feel at ease. Your therapist will provide a full guide on what to expect and how to prepare in advance.
I can't promise outcomes, and I'd be wary of anyone who did. Everyone's history and nervous system is different, and healing doesn't run to a timetable. What I can promise is that we'll go at a pace that's safe for you, and you won't be doing it alone.
Not for everyone, and not at every moment. That's exactly why we start with a suitability session. If EMDR isn't the right fit yet, we can still do a full-day therapy intensive shaped around what you need.
This is not a crisis service. If you're in crisis or worried about your safety, please reach out now: call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department, Lifeline on 13 11 14 (or text 0477 13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or 13YARN on 13 92 76 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. All are available 24/7.