For Referring Professionals

I'm Cay Schubert, an IFS therapist practicing by telehealth from Houston, and this page is for therapists and other professionals deciding whether to send someone my way. I provide weekly psychotherapy to adult clients, and I also offer weekend IFS intensives to accelerate progress for clients already working with other therapists. Intensives can help clients break through stuck points and process complex trauma quickly, to facilitate their ongoing work with their established therapist.

Who I work best with

Intensives work best for highly intelligent, highly motivated people with complex trauma and symptoms/behavior patterns that are not improving fast enough at the pace of weekly psychotherapy. They often have significant insight into their issues, but have still struggled to make meaningful change so far, or have hit a stuck point or plateau after making initial progress. I have done some of my best work with queer, neurodivergent, ENM or poly, and kink-involved clients, sometimes because their trauma is related to those identities, and sometimes because starting with a basic shared understanding of identity and life experience lets us skip over introductory explanations and target the specific issues that they want to focus on.

An intensive is often a good next step when:

  • a client has significant insight and wants to do depth work and make major changes more quickly than the weekly therapy format will allow

  • a client wants to do deep trauma processing, but struggles to devote time to it in weekly therapy sessions because they get sidetracked by more urgent crises and life events

  • a client wants to do a large volume of concentrated therapeutic work quickly before an upcoming transition, like a new leadership role or the birth of a child

I don't offer couples or family therapy, and I don't work with minors.

How I assess fit

Most PTSD treatment trials have excluded people with psychosis, and some intensive programs automatically exclude clients experiencing acute suicidality, those with recent hospitalizations, and other "high risk" diagnoses or life situations. I assess each client's fit for intensive therapy case-by-case, according to their current capacity, available supports, and clinical consultation, rather than using blanket exclusion criteria. Research has shown that high quality trauma therapy, provided with sufficient safety planning and supports in place, can be safe and effective even for some high-risk populations (psychosis, suicidal ideation).

This is why I prioritize close collaboration with a client's existing treatment team during the intensive assessment process. I only provide intensives to clients who have already established care with a weekly therapist for at least a month, and who are planning to continue working with that therapist after the intensive ends. I obtain permission to contact a client's current therapist, prescriber, and other treatment team members, and consult with them to develop a safety plan and determine what particular supports each client will need to have in place ahead of time, to ensure that they can engage with the intensive safely. This also allows me to gather background information and orient myself to the client's case before the intensive starts, so that we can jump right in and the client can make as much progress as possible in the time that we have together.

Someone who comes to me without a current therapist starts with a month of weekly sessions with me.

Presentations I'm glad to assess:

  • active suicidal thoughts, with a safety plan the client uses

  • severe eating disorders with medical care in place and sufficient medical stability for outpatient work, even when behaviors are still frequent

  • psychotic symptoms, when the person has organized enough speech to effectively communicate and engage in safety planning

  • a recent hospitalization, once the discharge team and the client's therapist agree the client is stable enough to benefit from an intensive

When I'd recommend another step first:

  • suicidal intent without a safety plan, or with a plan the client won't use

  • medical instability from an eating disorder

  • psychosis with dangerous behavior and without safety planning, or disorganization that makes verbal communication ineffective

  • a recent hospitalization where the discharge team or the client's therapist advises more time to stabilize

In those cases I'm happy to consult with you and the client to determine what steps need to be taken before an intensive is indicated.

How an intensive runs

An intensive is 15 hours of IFS over four days, all by video, built around one weekend:

  • Wednesday, 10:15 am Central: 90-minute pre-session

  • Saturday: 6 hours, with breaks

  • Sunday: 6 hours, with breaks

  • Monday, 10:15 am Central: 90-minute follow-up

On Wednesday the client and I set goals for the weekend intensive, drawing on my consult with you. Part of the intensive planning process is the client scheduling a follow up appointment with their established therapist within the same week as the follow up meeting with me, to make the transition out of the intensive as smooth and supported as possible.

Safety planning

Clients prepare for an intensive weekend the way they would for two days in a hospital, even though they're at home. They arrange childcare and hand off every work and household task they can, so they can dedicate all their energy and attention to the intensive process. Creating that protected and focused time is part of what makes an intensive work, and part of how we keep it safe.

Before the pre-session, the client and I update their written safety plan, with your input. We confirm the address where they'll spend both days and the emergency services near it. We also agree on a backup way to reach them if video drops.

Evenings belong to the client's own supports. Each client names the people they'll call on Saturday and Sunday night and keeps the numbers to their local 24-hour crisis lines at hand, since I'm unavailable between weekend sessions. They also let their supports know that symptoms can sometimes temporarily intensify during and immediately after an intensive.

How we coordinate

With a signed release, a shared client moves through an intensive like this:

  1. The client books a free consultation, and we confirm fit.

  2. You and I talk before the pre-session, about their history, safety planning, and your clinical input on the material they're planning to focus on.

  3. The client and I set goals at the Wednesday pre-session.

  4. The intensive weekend and the Monday follow-up.

  5. Within a week, I send you a written summary, and the client continues working with you.

For couples therapists

When couples work stalls because one partner is finding the process too triggering, a contained weekend of individual IFS can help them get unstuck. The intensive is entirely focused on the individual client's trauma history that is being activated in their current relationship, with the aim of helping them return to couples therapy and work on their relationship issues with more calm and clarity. I always maintain clear boundaries with clients during intensives and redirect them toward their own internal work instead of focusing on areas of conflict with their partner. With a release, I coordinate with you and with their individual therapist.

Fees and insurance

  • IFS intensive: $4,500 for 15 hours

  • Weekly therapy: $300 per 60-minute session

  • Private pay for clients in Texas and Maryland, with superbills for both. Most insurers reimburse one psychotherapy session code per day, so an intensive day usually reimburses at the rate of a single session.

  • In Massachusetts I'm in network with Tufts, Aetna, Cigna, and UBH/Optum. For Massachusetts clients, ask me how intensives work with their plan.

  • Every private-pay client receives a written Good Faith Estimate before their first session. I don't offer a sliding scale.

  • When a parent or partner pays, they receive receipts, and I share anything about session content only with the client's written permission.

Location and format

All sessions are by secure video. Clients need to be physically located in Texas, Maryland, or Massachusetts during each session.

Availability and how to refer

I have 2 intensive slots a month, with next availability in November 2026. I also have 3 current openings for weekly clients. I reply to referring clinicians within one business day.

The easiest path is for the client to book a free consultation at fieldsthatweknow.com/contact and mention your name if they're comfortable with that. You're also welcome to email me at cay@fieldsthatweknow.com. Once the client gives their permission, I'll let you know they reached out.

About me

I'm a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW in Texas, LICSW in Massachusetts, LCSW-C in Maryland) and have practiced psychotherapy since 2018. I'm IFS Level 1 trained and finish Level 2 in October 2026. More information about me: About Cay. For a sense of how I think, start with Black Sheep and Light Sleepers.