Understanding Session Length and Frequency
As you begin your therapy journey you might have questions about how long therapy sessions typically last, and how often you'll be expected to meet with us. This guide provides general information, but please understand that specifics will always be discussed and tailored to your unique needs and therapeutic goals.
Typical Session Length
Our standard therapy sessions are 50 minutes in duration. This is a common length for therapy appointments and allows sufficient time for meaningful exploration and work.
We find that a 50-minute "therapeutic hour" provides a focused and productive timeframe for sessions. Arriving on time for your appointment is important to make the most of your scheduled duration.
Frequency of Sessions
The frequency of your therapy sessions will be determined collaboratively between you and your therapist, based on several factors:
- Your Specific Needs and Goals: The nature and intensity of the issues you're addressing.
- Clinical Recommendation: Kirsten's professional judgment about what frequency will be most effective for your progress.
- Your Availability and Schedule: Practical considerations for fitting therapy into your life.
- Financial Considerations: Your budget for therapy.
Common Approaches to Frequency
- Weekly Sessions: Most clients begin therapy with weekly sessions. This consistency is often very beneficial, especially in the initial stages, for building rapport, gaining momentum, and making steady progress on your goals.
- Bi-Weekly Sessions (Every Other Week): As you make progress or if your circumstances warrant, you and Kirsten may decide to transition to bi-weekly sessions. This can be a good step for maintaining progress while having more time between sessions to practice new skills or insights.
- Less Frequent Sessions (e.g., Monthly): For some clients who are further along in their therapy, are in a maintenance phase, or have very specific check-in needs, less frequent sessions might be appropriate.
- More Frequent Sessions (Rare): In certain acute situations, very short-term increased frequency might be discussed, but this is less common for ongoing therapy.
Flexibility for Families
When working with families, your reserved weekly (or bi-weekly) session slot is for the family unit. As discussed with Kirsten, this time can be flexibly utilized by different family members or combinations of members (e.g., parents one week, a parent and child another, the full family the next) as part of the overall family therapy plan. The standard 50-minute session length still applies.
How Many Sessions Will I Need? (Duration of Therapy)
This is a very common and understandable question, but there's no one-size-fits-all answer. The total duration of therapy depends entirely on:
- Your individual circumstances and the complexity of your concerns.
- The goals you set for therapy.
- Your engagement and active participation in the process.
- The type of therapeutic work being done.
Some clients find relief and achieve their initial goals in a relatively short period (e.g., a few months), while others benefit from longer-term therapy for deeper exploration or ongoing support.
Kirsten will regularly discuss your progress with you and will be transparent about her perspective on the estimated duration of your work together. You are also encouraged to initiate these conversations.