To understand what Single Session Therapy is, let’s explore how it is defined by some of its most important developers.
From London, Windy Dryden believes that Single Session Therapy (SST) is an intentional endeavour where the therapist and the client set out with the intention of helping the client in one session knowing that more help is available. It occurs when the therapist and client meet with the agreed intention of addressing the client’s problem in one session so that the client can move forward on their own. However, more sessions are available to the client if needed.
From Italy, Flavio Cannistrà defines SST as a method which allows the effectiveness of every session to be maximised, lowering the risk of the patient abandoning treatment and reducing the duration of therapy, sometimes to one single session.
From Australia, Jeff Young says that SST is not a particular therapeutic model but a service delivery model and framework that can be learned and applied by many practitioners working in different professions and backgrounds.
From the Netherlands, Martin Söderquist, a psychiatrist who works with individuals and couples, stated that he sees SST as one-session-at-a-time meeting, where clients can return if they want to. He added, for those who don’t ask for more than one session, good results are still achieved.
From the USA, Michael F. Hoyt says SST is a counselling method in which you show up, talk, listen, learn and leave, possibly forever. In SST, the therapist and the client approach the meeting as though it will likely be the only one.
Having travelled to many countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, I understand that SST is growing in popularity worldwide. For the last seven years, I have been delivering SST in Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Kenya, Eswatini, Egypt, Nepal, Jordan and Sri Lanka. Living in those countries and documenting my experience doing SST has allowed me to learn much about what I know about SST today.
My definition of SST is that it is a set of principles and practices put into action to generate positive change within one session. In its formal form, SST occurs when a meeting between a helper and those requiring help is agreed. The focus of this meeting is to find a way to resolve a specific issue or situation as soon as possible.
We only meet once and I don’t see the client again unless they want to work on something else.
Why should you care about resolving your problems in one session?
Because time is precious, you have a busy life and you want to spend more time enjoying it than worrying about it. A myth about change is that to deal with a ‘complex’ problem, you have to spend a lot of time trying to resolve it. Research shows that regardless of what problem you want to deal with, the most common number of sessions people attend in counselling worldwide is one, followed by two, then three, etc.(1). In the 80s and 90s Psychologists Talmon, Hoyt, Rosenbaum and others, conducted a series of scientific investigations showing that at least half of the people who attended psychological therapy, chose to attend one session only. The positive results were maintained for months after this session (2). Most recent scientific research continues to demonstrate the effectiveness of SST in different contexts (3).
SST is not a quick-fix approach for resolving problems, but an opportunity to learn how to get unstuck in life, regain control, and move forward, quicker than in traditional long-term counselling/therapy/coaching. Lasting change is possible and can happen in a brief moment. Have you ever read a book, watched a film, had a conversation with someone, or heard a speech and felt inspired to change your life somehow? ‘Light bulb’ moments happen all the time, and in SST, the helper aims to create these moments to help clients find their answers and move forward. You won’t resolve all your problems in one session. Instead, a SST conversation will enable you to find your path and feel motivated to follow it through to the end.
References
(1) Weir, S., Wills,M.,Young,J. & Perlesz,A. (2008). The implementation of Single Session Work in community health. Brunswick, Australia: The Bouverie Centre, La Trobe University.
(2) Hoyt, M.F., Rosenbaum, R., & Talmon, M (1990). Effective single session therapy: Step by step guidelines. In M. Talmon, op.cit.,pp. 43-60.
Silve, A. & Bobele,M. (2011). When one hour is all you have. Effective theraspy for walk-in clients . Phoenix, AZ: Zeig, Tucker& Theisen. Societa Italiana di Psichiatria (2013).
Talmon, M. (2014) When less is More: 25 years of Maximizing the Effect of Every (and Often Only) Session. In Hoyt & Talmon(eds.), Capturing the Moment: Single-Session Therapy and Walk-in Services, Crown House Publishers.
Bloom,B.L. (2001) Focussed single session psychotherapy: A review of the clinical and research literature. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 1(1),75-86.
(3) Rosenbaum, R., Talmon, M. & Hoyt, M. (1993). “Heavy Ideals: A strategic single-session intervention for achieving weight loss through increasing autonomy” In Wells, R. & Gianetti, V. (Eds.). Casebook of the Brief Psychotherapies. New York: Plenum.
Oest, L. G. (1989). One session treatment for specific phobias. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 7,1-7.
