What is Single Session Therapy?
What is Single Session Therapy?
Single Session Therapy (SST) is a focused, goal-oriented form of therapy designed to help with a specific issue in one planned session. It is not about rushing therapy or trying to solve every problem at once. Instead, it is a structured and intentional meeting where therapist and client work together to create a meaningful outcome in a limited period of time.
Many people assume therapy must be long term to be useful. While ongoing therapy can be valuable, this is not always what someone needs in that moment. Sometimes one well-used session can help a person gain clarity, make an important decision, understand a pattern, or leave with practical next steps.
SST can be particularly helpful for people who want support around one issue, need guidance quickly, are unsure whether they want longer-term therapy, or prefer to start with one focused conversation before deciding what comes next.
I offer Single Session Therapy for individuals and couples, online and in person in Blackheath, South East London.
How Does Single Session Therapy Work?
Single Session Therapy usually begins by identifying one clear focus for the session. This does not mean your whole life has to fit into one topic, but it helps to decide what feels most important right now.
Feeling stuck about what to do next
Making a difficult relationship, work, or life decision
Managing anxiety about a specific situation
Preparing for a challenging conversation
Coping with a breakup, loss, or sudden change
Working through the impact of a recent upsetting event
Resolving a recurring conflict with someone important to you
Setting boundaries with a partner, family member, or colleague
Understanding a pattern that keeps repeating in relationships
Gaining clarity about one issue that feels hard to move forward
The session is structured around what would make the time genuinely useful for you. Together, we explore thoughts, feelings, patterns, behaviours, and possible options.
The aim is often to leave with something concrete, such as:
A clearer understanding of the situation
A decision or direction
Practical strategies
Better communication tools
Emotional relief or grounding
Signposting to resources
A plan for next steps
A decision about whether further therapy would help
Single Session Therapy and the Existential Approach
The Existential Approach is well-suited for Single Session Therapy (SST) because of its philosophical foundations and its focus on real-life applications to the client's experience. Existential Therapy involves exploring real-life problems from different perspectives and understanding what makes sense for the client. The goal of existential therapy is to help the client clarify how they want to live their lives in a way that is both meaningful and authentic to them. In SST, when focusing on a specific issue, the Existential Therapist will:
a) help the client define the issue,
b) explore the parameters of the problem,
c) identify the possible choices the client may have and what those choices may mean for the client,
d) discuss the obstacles associated with each choice, and
e) encourage the client to take responsibility for the potential solutions.
The Existential Approach involves gently challenging the client to explore different perspectives that they may not have considered possible before. This is also the goal of SST: to help clients see different perspectives that could lead them out of a difficult phase in their lives. The focus on meaning helps clients identify potential solutions that make sense to them and align with their value system, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution. Additionally, its emphasis on personal responsibility encourages clients to make decisions that are meaningful to them and helps them navigate the anxiety of making important decisions.
SST often involves helping clients focus on immediate, pressing issues, and existential therapy’s focus on meaning can help clients find a sense of direction and purpose even in a brief interaction.
Existential therapy encourages deep self-reflection and personal insight. In a single session, this focus can help clients gain immediate insights into their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Such self-reflection can lead to meaningful change or provide a new perspective, even in a brief encounter.
Is SST effective?
Research suggests that brief, focused therapy can be effective for many people, particularly when the issue is clear and the session is purposeful. Studies have found that a significant proportion of clients experience improvement after one or two sessions, and that planned single-session work can produce outcomes comparable to longer therapy in some circumstances.
A 2023 systematic review by Kim, Ryu, and Chibanda found evidence that single-session interventions can be beneficial for common adult mental health difficulties, particularly when thoughtfully designed and matched to the client’s needs.
This does not mean one session is always enough. It means therapy can be helpful in different formats, and sometimes one strong conversation can make a real difference.
The Benefits of Single Session Therapy
Immediate Support
Sometimes the hardest part of a problem is waiting while stress builds in the background. Single Session Therapy offers the opportunity to address something important now, while it is current and emotionally alive, rather than letting it grow into something more overwhelming.
Focus and Clarity
When life feels confusing, thoughts can go in circles. A focused session can help you slow things down, organise what is happening, identify what matters most, and leave with a clearer sense of what you think, feel, and want to do next.
Psychoeducation and Understanding
Sometimes relief comes from understanding what is happening. A single session can help you make sense of patterns, symptoms, behaviours, relationship dynamics, or emotional responses that may have felt confusing or overwhelming. Gaining knowledge can reduce self-blame and help you respond more effectively. This may be particularly helpful for people wanting to understand areas such as ADHD, relational dynamics, anxiety, trauma responses, or the impact of narcissistic abuse.
Practical Tools and Strategies
Single Session Therapy is not only about insight. It can also provide practical support. Depending on your needs, this may include communication strategies, boundary-setting, coping tools, emotional regulation techniques, ways to approach conflict, or a clearer framework for decision-making.
Emotional Containment
Some situations feel difficult because they are emotionally intense and hard to process alone. A single session can provide a contained and supportive space to think, feel, and reflect with someone experienced, which can reduce overwhelm and help you regain steadiness.
Cost Effective
For people who do not want or cannot commit to ongoing therapy, a single focused session can be a more accessible option. It offers meaningful professional support without the financial commitment of weekly sessions.
Flexible and Adaptable
Single Session Therapy can be used for a wide range of concerns and life situations. It may be helpful for individuals or couples, online or in person, and can be tailored to the issue you bring rather than following a fixed formula.
Empowerment and Confidence
Many people come to therapy doubting themselves or feeling disconnected from their own judgement. SST can help you reconnect with your strengths, values, and ability to make choices, often leaving with greater confidence in how to move forward.
No Pressure or Long-Term Commitment
Some people delay seeking support because they worry therapy will become an open-ended commitment. SST offers a different option. You can book one session, focus on what you need, and then decide afterwards whether anything further would be helpful.
A Strong Starting Point
For some people, one session is enough. For others, it becomes the first step into deeper work. A single session can help clarify whether longer-term therapy would be useful and what kind of support would suit you best.
Meaningful Change Can Begin Quickly
Therapy does not always need to be lengthy to be valuable. Sometimes one thoughtful, well-focused conversation at the right time can create real movement, emotional relief, and a new direction.
When Single Session Therapy May Not Be the Best Fit
SST can be powerful, but it is not the right model for every situation.
More ongoing support may be more appropriate where there is:
Severe or chronic depression
Complex trauma
Significant risk concerns
Longstanding relational patterns requiring deeper work
Active addiction or crisis states
Complex mental health difficulties needing continuity of care
In these cases, traditional therapy models may be more appropriate.
Conclusion: The Value of Single Session Therapy
Single Session Therapy is an innovative and effective approach for those seeking immediate, targeted support. By focusing on a specific issue and working collaboratively in a structured session, clients can achieve meaningful outcomes in just one meeting. Whether you’re facing a sudden challenge or simply want to gain clarity on an issue, SST offers a powerful option for quick and effective therapeutic intervention.
References:
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Barkham, M., Connell, J., Stiles, W. B., Miles, J. N. V., Margison, F., Evans, C., & Mellor-Clark, J. (2006). Dose-effect relations and responsive regulation of treatment duration: The good enough level. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(1), 160–167. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.74.1.160
Bloom, B. L. (2001). Focused Single‐Session Psychotherapy: A Review of the Clinical and Research Literature. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 1(1), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1093/brief-treatment/1.1.75
Cahill, J., Barkham, M., Hardy, G., Rees, A., Shapiro, D. A., Stiles, W. B., & Macaskill, N. (2003). Outcomes of patients completing and not completing cognitive therapy for depression. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 42(2), 133–143. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466503321903553
Hansen, N. B., & Lambert, M. J. (2002). The psychotherapy dose-response effect and its implications for treatment delivery services. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9(3), 329-343. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.9.3.329
Kim, J., Ryu, N., & Chibanda, D. (2023). Effectiveness of single-session therapy for adult common mental disorders: A systematic review. BMC Psychology, 11, Article 373. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01410-0
Seligman, M. E. P. (1995). The effectiveness of psychotherapy: The Consumer Reports study. American Psychologist, 50(12), 965-974. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.50.12.965
