We often think that a visit to a psychotherapist is too long a story that can drag on for months or years. Actually it is not. Most of our problems can be resolved in just a few sessions.
Many of us imagine a psychotherapy session as a spontaneous conversation about feelings. No, it is a structured period of time during which the therapist helps clients resolve their problems until they learn to deal with them themselves. In most cases, the task is achieved — and it does not necessarily take years.
Studies show that most problems do not require long-term, multi-year therapy. Says Bruce Wompold, a counseling psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, «Yes, some clients see therapists for chronic conditions like depression, but there are also many that are not so difficult to resolve (such as a conflict at work).»
Psychotherapy in such cases can be compared to visits to a doctor: you make an appointment, get certain tools to help you cope with your problems, and then leave.
“In many cases, twelve sessions are enough to have a positive effect,” agrees Joe Parks, senior medical adviser for the US National Council for the Behavioral Sciences. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry gives an even lower figure: on average, 8 sessions were enough for psychotherapist clients.1.
The most common type of short-term psychotherapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Based on correcting thought patterns, it has proven effective for a wide range of psychological problems, from anxiety and depression to chemical addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychotherapists can also combine CBT with other methods to achieve results.
“It takes a lot longer to get to the root of the problem,” adds Christy Beck, a psychotherapist at State College in Pennsylvania. In her work, she uses both CBT and psychoanalytic methods to deal with deeper issues stemming from childhood. To solve a purely situational problem, a few sessions are enough, ”she says.
More complex ones, such as eating disorders, take years to work with.
In any case, according to Bruce Wompold, the most effective psychotherapists are those who have good interpersonal skills, including such qualities as the ability to empathize, the ability to listen, the ability to explain the therapy plan to the client. The initial phase of therapy can be difficult for the client.
“We have to discuss some unpleasant, difficult things,” explains Bruce Wompold. However, after a few sessions, the client will begin to feel better. But if relief does not come, it is necessary to discuss this with the therapist.
“Therapists can make mistakes too,” says Joe Park. “That’s why it’s so important to jointly define a goal and then check against it, for example: improve sleep, gain motivation to vigorously perform daily tasks, improve relationships with loved ones. If one strategy doesn’t work, another might.
When to end therapy? According to Christy Beck, it is usually easy for both sides to come to a consensus on this issue. “In my practice, it’s usually a mutual decision,” she says. “I don’t keep the client from staying in therapy longer than required, but he needs to mature for this.”
However, sometimes clients want to continue therapy even after they have solved the local problem with which they came. “It happens if a person feels that psychotherapy helps him understand himself, contributes to his inner growth,” explains Christy Beck. “But it is always a personal decision of the client.”
1 The American Journal of Psychiatry, 2010, vol. 167, № 12.