Keep in Mind That You May See the Client for One or More Sessions. Be Open to Both Possibilities

Therapists who are unfamiliar with the term ‘single-session therapy’ and potential clients encountering it for the first time both tend to believe that it means only one session. I sympathize with this, because a ‘Ronseal’ 1 definition of ‘single-session therapy’ is ‘a therapy that lasts for a single session’. This contrasts with the definition of single-session therapy I provided in the Introduction, namely, Single-session therapy is an intentional endeavour where the therapist and client contract to collaborate to help the client achieve their desired outcome by the end of the session. This is with the full understanding that, once the client feels they have gained the maximum benefit from the session – after reflecting on their learning, processing it, applying it, and observing the results – additional support is available at a later date if needed.