How can I improve my mental health? How Shame Could be Keeping Your From Going To Therapy
How Shame Gets in the Way and How You Can Benefit from Time-Efficient Counseling
Introduction: I know I probably need therapy but something keeps me from sitting down and scheduling it in my calendar
If you’ve ever thought, “I know I need therapy, but I honestly don’t have time for one more weekly commitment. That sounds exhausting. I know I could benefit from it but I can’t prioritize it!” then you are not alone.
Between grinding in your job, taking care of kids, pets, family, spouse, friends, etc. etc. etc, your mental health often ends up at the bottom of the barrel—with nothing really left for you except just enough energy to zonk out in front of the tv streaming your latest binge. I'm here to tell you that life could be better and this doesn't have to be it.
After working with people for over a decade, here are three common ways that well meaning, smart, organized but stressed people fall into on their way into the therapy process:
Their packed schedules made weekly therapy become an added stressor: Long work hours, on-call shifts, or rotating schedules, even bosses who would overlook a blocked out window on your calendar and schedule over it- made it so that just by being in therapy, it wasn't helpful.
Urgent needs: When feeling stress, burnout, and intense moments in a relationship cause sudden peaks in anxiety, finding a therapist seems nearly impossible. I would hear stories about how some people who have been wanting to start therapy ended up having to wait for years before actually getting into the door.
Logistics would get in the way: Childcare, commuting, making sure that we're both off work so that we can make it to couples therapy was just something that people couldn't sustain overtime to actually get anywhere in their couples therapy goals.
These situations would all lead to feelings of shame for not trying hard enough, not making it work, not investing in our health when we knew that we should have been. If this sounds like you then you're not alone.
Start looking for a therapist before you're in crisis mode. Make it your 2026 goal to find the right one for you, not one that you had to make due with. Finding the right one means reaching out to them and doing some consultations. Finding the right one means sitting down and really thinking about what you would like to see different in a year, or 3 years.
Consider Options that might be conveniently available for you. Work places can offer free sessions through your EAP or employee assistance program, you might already have an account through your work like an HSA or FSA thats there to fund your health care needs. Use it. Try it. There are going to many different types of ways that therapy can be offered- online, in person, using drama, art, talk, couples, retreats, etc.
Know that therapy intensives are available to you now! A time-efficient, focused type of treatment is available for those who are committed and intentional about bettering their mental health—and best of all, it's short term! Those that utilize this type of therapy are surprised to find that they only need a short amount of sessions before feeling relief and finding clarity in their process.
What exactly is a therapy intensive?
A therapy intensive is basically a longer session. These sessions are designed to work with your life. Maybe you're someone who might prefer to do therapy for only a month and call it good. Maybe you're someone who wants to meet with a therapist for only 1 time a month but have a session that feels like it gets to the root of the issue, without it ending abruptly and lacking in you feeling relief.
These condensed extended session are more meaningful, focused, and streamlined to help you save time in the long run—
You have the option to book these for a few days or over the course of several weeks.
This model allows for:
Deeper focus: more time spent on the root issues
Momentum and continuity: Insights build on each other quickly, leading to faster breakthroughs
Intentional healing time: Therapy becomes a priority for a defined window, not an ongoing calendar burden.
For many people, this feels like fast-track mental health counseling support with a VIP flair.
This helps you to feel more intentional about your time, less rushed, and overall, more efficient and effective in our work together.
Why Busy People Benefit Most
Therapy intensives are especially helpful for people whose lives don’t slow down easily. This includes:
Professionals managing high-pressure roles who need support without weekly disruptions.
Healthcare workers experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, or emotional overload.
Parents and caregivers juggling family needs with little personal time.
Couples who want to strengthen their relationship but struggle to coordinate schedules.
Individuals preparing for a major transition—a career change, relocation, postpartum period, or relationship decision.
Instead of asking, “Can I commit to therapy every week to work our relationship?” ask yourself this: “Could we schedule a weekend afternoon to make some big breakthroughs in our relationship?” Most people are more available, more willing, and more receptive to a schedule that actually works for them.
That shift can mean all the difference for you in your mental wellness.
Stop Shame From Getting In Our Way.
If you’ve been putting off therapy because of feeling bad about how you can't make the schedule work, the effort feels impossible, or how not being able to make couples therapy work somehow means that we've failed as a couple, then maybe it's time to consider a different option.
Therapy intensives for busy people offer meaningful, streamlined support that saves you time, energy, and gets to root cause, leading to happier, healthier relationships sooner.
If you’re curious whether a therapy intensive is the right fit for your lifestyle, I invite you to schedule a consultation. Your mental health matters, and it deserves care that works for you.
About Tiffany King, LMFT:
Tiffany is a licensed marriage and couples therapist providing adult and couples therapy | marriage counseling in person in the greater Reno-Sparks, Tahoe area and virtually across Nevada and California.
She specializes in trauma recovery, attachment concerns, anxiety, burnout, self-esteem, and relationship challenges, using approaches such as Brainspotting, Gottman Method, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT).
In her spare time, she loves being in the Sierra Nevadas, baking, and exploring various types of art.
King Counseling LLC
Serving Reno and Sparks, Nevada locally, as well as across the state of California and Nevada virtually