If you had asked me about the benefits of single session therapy five years ago, I’d have shrugged – oblivious to how powerful a one off session could be. Single sessions are exactly how they sound – one session without the commitment of having more.

Clients choose to use them in various ways:

• As a singular session to discuss something specific and I may never see them again after the session.
• As a way to dip into therapy on a more ad-hoc basis, as and when things arise.

Let me share what I’ve learned though in my four years now of offering single sessions to clients.

It Can Be Enough to Stop The Spiral.

Ever had one of those situations in life where something happens and you just can’t stop thinking about it; what was said, why it happened, how it made you feel and as a result been led down a spiral so hard that you feel like you’re physically spinning from it. If someone close to you is connected to the situation, it can often be hard to get speaking about it without their emotions or potential judgements clouding it. Speaking to someone impartial can be really useful to untangle the pieces around what happened, pause the digging into the rabbithole of rumination and feel grounded again from your experience.

It Can Provide Some Breathing Space.

You may have been carrying something for a long time, never spoken about, which tends to rear its head at the most inconvenient of times. Or maybe you have an important decision to make but everyone’s opinions around you are creating doubt about what you want to do. It might be neither of these but you simply know that you carry this knot within you, a proverbial monkey on the back and it would be nice to be able to loosen the knot, take some of the food away from that monkey and feel like you can breathe a bit better. Single session therapy allows just that – a place to speak about that heaviness, release some of its hold and lighten your load.

It’s A Great Introduction To Therapy.

If, like most people, your only introduction to therapy has been through American TV shows, then understandably you may be cringing at the thought of what it could entail. Therapy is daunting – speaking your personal life to quite frankly a stranger takes courage (and a good dose of trust!). Single sessions are a great way to dip your toe in if you’ve been considering attending therapy and not only get an idea of how it feels speaking about your inner world to a particular therapist but also allows you to consider how it feels for you once you come away from a session. Could it be exciting to have new awareness around yourself and your life?

Not Everyone Wants Or Needs Regular Sessions.

The thought of committing time, finances and even energy on a regular basis can be difficult for many. A one off session allows you to have more control in how you want to dip into therapy – clients can decide on their own frequency – one session in its entirety might be enough for some, for others, once a month or every six months provides enough to refuel.

Talking During the Thick Of It Can Be Helpful

You just want to speak to someone now and not wait weeks for an appointment because it’s feeling really tough NOW. From experience, one off sessions can be so helpful in the immediacy of tough feelings and can allow you to understand them better as they’re writhing away rather than wait weeks when that feeling may have dissipated.

If single sessions sound like they could be the right fit for you then you can book an appointment by clicking here.