Therapy for How To Set Boundaries in Denver, CO
You want to learn how to say no without feeling guilty.
Because you find yourself saying “yes” even when you don’t want to.
Maybe you agreed to stay late at work (again), let a family member overstep (without saying a word), or avoided telling your partner how you really felt (because you didn’t want to start a fight or even worse, hurt their feelings).
You want to set healthy boundaries with your boss, your parents, your family, your friends, your partner, but you don’t want to feel guilty for doing it. You don’t want to seem cold or uncaring.
Setting boundaries is HARD—especially when you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or feel like you’re letting someone down. You don’t want to be seen as selfish, but boundaries aren’t mean, selfish, or rude. Boundaries are essential to having healthy, satisfying relationships.
Boundaries aren’t about taking anything away from someone else or controlling others.
Boundaries are about our wants, needs, capabilities and our limitations.
Boundaries are like fences, distinguishing between what is yours, and what belongs to someone else.
In a therapy intensive, you can learn how to set boundaries with family, at work, and in your relationships in a matter of days, not several months.
You can learn how to say no without feeling like a bad friend, partner, family member, colleague, etc.
You can stop over-explaining yourself all the damn time, especially when you don’t need to.
You can learn how to communicate your needs in a way that feels empowering, not confrontational or reactive.
You can feel calm, instead of anxious every time you need to say, “I can’t do that.”
You can start believing that your time, energy, and emotions are just as important as everyone else’s.
That is what healthy boundaries feel like.
And it’s 100% possible for you - because setting boundaries is a teachable, and learnable skill.
How Therapy Intensives work:
First, we’ll do an hour-long intake where I will gather some important background information. These are done within 1 week of the intensive session.
Next, we do an intensive therapy session (3 hours, including breaks) which is really where the magic happens. You could use AI to give you examples of boundaries - but that’s not going to help you overcome what is keeping you from setting healthy boundaries. What’s stopping you is the guilt, fear and anxiety you feel when you say (or even thinking about saying) no. That’s what intensive therapy is for. We’ll address the barriers that get in the way, or make it feel hard to set boundaries. We’ll talk about how to communicate assertively and respectfully with others in ways that you can feel good about. And yes, we’ll walk through how to set boundaries, step by step. We’ll talk through specific scenarios, address concerns and practice your new skills. We’ll work on helping you recognizing emotional triggers and deal with any anxiety, fear and guilt that crop up.
We’ll also schedule a follow up 1-2 weeks out from the intensive where I’ll check in with you on how it’s been going, address any concerns any that have come up, and review any questions you may have. At that time if you decide you would like to schedule another intensive to continue working on boundary setting or would like to address a new issue around it that has come up, then we’ll get it set up.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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This intensive is most ideal for those who are already in therapy as a supplement to what you’re already working on, and for those who have been to therapy before but never got specific help around boundaries. Surprisingly I’ve found that while a lot of therapists talk to clients about the importance of boundaries, few offer specific guidance in how to actually do it, often because there are so many things being worked on each session. In a boundaries intensive I won’t get into all the other things you are working on, I will just teach you the skill of setting boundaries and help you work through any questions or concerns you have about it. If you are able to set aside one (or a few, depending on your circumstances and goals) Friday mornings and would prefer this over going to therapy every week for the next several months, then the intensive model may be ideal for you.
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Boundaries are necessary for us to have healthy, satisfying relationships - at work and at home. If we don’t have boundaries we constantly let others walk all over us and put others’ needs and wants before our own, which often leads to exhaustion, resentment and rarely getting our own needs met. Not being able to set boundaries can lead to, or worsen, stress, anxiety and depression.
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You can learn how to set boundaries in any and all areas that are important to you. Sometimes boundaries are easier at work, but harder at home and in our relationships. Sometimes it’s hard at both. Either way, boundaries intensives can help you learn how to say no without feeling guilty and communicate your boundaries with confidence. We’ll go over the things that feel trickier when it comes to your mother-in-law, friends or your boss.
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Boundaries are not selfish in the negative sense of the word, and they are not controlling, either. Everyone is in charge of their own feelings and behaviors at all time. Boundaries do not control other people, they simply communicate our limitations, capabilities or needs. They don’t tell someone else what they can or cannot do, they communicate what WE can or cannot do, or what we will or will not do. Sometimes people who don’t like having boundaries set with them will call others selfish controlling when they set or hold a boundary, but this doesn’t make it true. If someone is upset about a healthy boundary you set, then it’s their job to work through those feelings, not your job to violate your boundaries to make them feel better.
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Yes, we will go over that too. Boundaries work isn’t just about learning what to say/how to set boundaries, it’s about learning how to hold them and what to do when someone pushes back.
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I do not take insurance. You can read more about the fees and investment by reading the investment page here.
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No, you don’t have to live in CO but you do need to physically be in the state to do an intensive with me. As of Spring 2025, I am only licensed to practice in Colorado. This means you must physically be located in CO at the time of the intensive, whether it is in person or virtual. You don’t necessarily need to LIVE in Colorado, but you have to physically be in the state of Colorado if you are going to do an intensive with me.
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My job isn’t to tell you whether or not to cut someone off - my job is to help you learn how to set boundaries in a healthy and assertive way, not tell you who to talk to or not. Sometimes people try setting boundaries and then go no-contact, but that is usually in more extreme situations or situations where someone has repeatedly tried to talk to the other person about abuse or hurt and it didn’t go well, or the conversation has, or has the potential to cause more harm. Sometimes people go no contact because of a real concern for safety or danger. Sometimes learning how to set good boundaries actually helps us KEEP our relationships because we learn how to interact with others in ways that feel good, not hurtful.