Written By: Lynne Cole | Last Updated: July 2022
Therapy needs vary from person to person. One point that can vary is how often therapy may be needed, depending on the nature of the issue and the time available to both the therapist and the client.
How Long Does the Average Person Stay in Therapy?
NHS therapy courses almost all last for five to twenty sessions, with the average being twelve to sixteen sessions. Private therapists’ treatment courses can vary more, sometimes only being a couple of sessions. Talk to your therapist about how many you will need, and don’t worry about how many sessions other people take; therapy is about dealing with your own problems in a manner suitable for you.
How Many Therapy Sessions is Enough to See Progress?
Even just a single therapy session can provide a small improvement, depending on the issue and whether the method clicks with the client. To see substantial and lasting benefits, it takes longer. About half of all clients report noticeable improvement after eight sessions, and seventy-five percent after fourteen [1].
Complete recovery depends on many factors, including the client’s goals and how much effort they put in. Self-reported symptom measurement suggests many patients count themselves recovered after twenty sessions over six months. Complex issues can take much longer. That said, even a short course of therapy is often enough to see some change; don’t deny yourself treatment if your only option is a course of twelve sessions and you think you need more. You can always sign up for therapy again later and work with the techniques you’ve learned on your own time while you wait.
Typical Therapy Frequencies
Most therapists will recommend at least starting out with weekly/fortnightly sessions. This allows for a close focus on the issue, a good pace of progress, rapport-building with the therapist ,and quickly following up with any problems that arise between sessions, while also allowing some time for decompression and thinking over anything that came up in the last session.
More frequent appointments may be needed for urgent issues such as very severe depression, or for certain types of trauma therapy. Less frequent appointments can, however, also provide a positive effect, though it takes longer. Practice techniques your therapist teaches you between sessions to increase the improvement rate further.
It is a good idea to schedule appointments on a regular schedule. Routine is reassuring and allows time to process each session properly. Ad hoc attendance can still be helpful, though. If your problem tends to flare up, if the therapist’s schedule allows it may help to arrange an appointment as soon as possible afterwards to deal with it quickly.
When to Change the Frequency of Therapy Sessions
If a severe problem comes up, your therapist may recommend increasing the frequency of your sessions. Alternately, if you feel you are stable and progressing well, less frequent sessions may help you cease to rely too much on therapy and get used to ending the course. A good therapist will use their judgment regarding your specific situation.
[1] http://www.goodmedicine.org.uk/stressedtozest/2015/04/if-you-see-therapist-how-many-sessions-are-you-likely-need