How Often Should I be Going to Therapy?
I get this question often.
“How many sessions until I start feeling better? How often should I be booking with you? How long will this take?”
There is no “one size fits all” answer to these questions. It tends to depend on what your areas of concern are, what your expectations and goals are for therapy, and your readiness and commitment level. Your therapist’s therapeutic approach will also play a role.
Research suggests that weekly/biweekly 50-minute sessions to start with can be the most effective for lasting change. This creates consistency in your commitment to your therapeutic journey and allows your brain and body to exercise muscles they may not have in a while.
Similar to exercising or going to the gym - we cannot expect results if we are not consistent!
Trauma-focused and attachment-based therapy tends to be long-term therapy - essentially, more than 8-12 sessions in total. Folks tend to see the best results after 6-12 months of consistent therapy (anywhere between 25 to 50 sessions a year). Your commitment to applying the resources and tools you are learning in therapy outside of session can also determine effectiveness or lasting change. This would be similar to attending class AND completing the readings, homework, and studying outside of the classroom.
As humans, we are constantly changing and growing. We continuously go through transitional periods in life, whether that is graduating from university, starting a new career, marriage/divorce, parenthood, caregiving, death & loss, etc. Therapy can be helpful at any stage in life and there is no right or wrong time to start! There is not a set number of sessions or frequency that can determine the best fit for YOU. There may not be a definitive end date to your journey and that is ok - it’s typically welcomed in long-term therapy!
You can always ask your mental health practitioner to help you determine what might be the most effective course of action based on your needs and goals. Therapy is collaborative!
