How long does Therapy take?
One of the unknowns about beginning therapy is how long it might take before you expect to feel any effect. The reality is that this looks different for everyone. However, there are two main approaches; time-limited therapy, also called short-term or brief therapy, and open-ended, longer-term therapy. Here I share some thoughts on what these ways of working look like, what situations they tend to fit, and some possible benefits and challenges of each.
Time-limited therapy
This usually lasts between 8 - 12 sessions. It tends to work well when there’s a specific goal you’d like to work towards. It might relate to day-to-day experiences like wanting to improve a relationship, your performance in a role or how you manage stress. It might relate to a life change such as the beginning or end to a job, pregnancy and parenthood or loss and bereavement. It might also relate to managing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety or depression. Possible benefits include a consistent strong sense of focus, seeing some faster results and the work feeling more tightly contained. Possible challenges include the intensity of the process, turning lessons learned into lasting habits and leaving some areas unexplored.
Open-ended therapy
This can last anywhere from 3 months to several years. It tends to work well when problems are hard to define or particularly difficult to talk about. It might look like frustration, dissatisfaction, or confusion about an area of your life, your relationships, or your sense of who you are. It might be about wanting to acknowledge and understand past events that have become forgotten or unclear over time. Possible benefits include more control over the pace of the work, the opportunity to respond to unexpected areas and space to work through complex issues. Possible challenges include the uncertainty of a more flexible structure, less consistency in your experience of sessions and working with deeply rooted thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
Finding the right time
It’s not always clear to us whether short- or long-term therapy would be a better fit. The following questions might help you to get a sense of how much work might be involved:
- How long have you been affected by what’s bringing you to therapy?
- How deep-rooted are the thoughts, feelings, or behaviours you’re looking to change?
- How much is day-to-day life affected by what’s bringing you to therapy?
- How easy or difficult is it for you to share your thoughts and feelings?
The duration of your therapy might also be driven by how easy or difficult is it to make it part of your routine. In this case, you can discuss with your therapist how to shape your goal to fit the time you are able to give.
Time for action
One of the most valuable things about one-to-one therapy is that it can be tailored to what you need. This means that therapy looks different for everyone. It can also look different for people at different times in their life. For example, some people will undertake short-term therapy and will never feel that they need this kind of support again. However, it’s also common for people to undertake some time-limited therapy before returning for more work after a break. An important thing to remember is that whatever you decide, you also have the option to change your mind. Also, whatever the timeline, you and your therapist will always be working towards an ending where you no longer need support.
Further Information
A therapist can support you to think about what type of approach might work for you as part of an initial conversation or consultation. You can also read information provided by the BACP on Types of Therapy, which includes time-limited and open-ended approaches.
