Individual Intensives
When you need more than a weekly therapy session
There are times when fifty minutes is not enough to explore what has happened, how it has affected you and what you want to do next. You may have spent weeks or months thinking about the same experience, or you may understand much of it intellectually but still feel that something has not changed.
An individual therapy intensive gives us four hours or a full day to concentrate on one important area of your life. This may be a betrayal, a harmful relationship, an estrangement, an important decision or a question about who you are and how you want to live. Instead of stopping when we reach something significant and returning to it the following week, we have time to stay with the work, consider different parts of your experience together and understand more fully why it continues to affect you.
This concentrated way of working can be particularly helpful when something feels urgent or has become difficult to think through alone, but you do not necessarily want or need to begin open ended weekly therapy.
What is an individual therapy intensive?
An intensive is an extended therapy session in which we focus on a particular experience, relationship, question or decision.
I offer a four hour intensive and a full day intensive. A four hour intensive provides the equivalent of four weekly therapy sessions, while a full day intensive offers the equivalent of seven weeks of therapy. Having this time together in one day allows us to remain focused on the same experience without having to stop and return to it a week later.
A four hour intensive may be suitable when you want to concentrate on one central issue. This could be a betrayal, a relationship that continues to affect you, an estrangement, an experience you are struggling to make sense of or a decision you are finding difficult to make. A full day gives us more time when the issue has a longer history, involves several connected relationships or has affected different areas of your life.
On the day, we will agree on the main focus and work at a pace that allows us to explore it properly. I work actively and will ask questions, draw attention to patterns and challenge you where I think this may be helpful. There will also be time to reflect and to notice emotional or physical responses that may be difficult to include in a straightforward account of what happened.
Breaks are included throughout both formats. Towards the end of the intensive, we will consider what has become clearer, what remains unresolved and whether there are decisions, conversations or boundaries that you want to approach differently.
How SST Can Be Helpful for ADHD
For many adults living with ADHD, diagnosed or undiagnosed, daily life can feel like a cycle of overwhelm, inconsistency, and frustration. You may have a deep capacity for creativity, empathy, or insight, yet find yourself stuck in patterns of self-criticism, burnout, or chaos.
Single Session Therapy (SST) offers a space to step back, reflect, and make sense of these experiences. Whether you’re exploring the possibility of an ADHD diagnosis or trying to manage life with an existing one, a single focused session can be grounding and genuinely helpful.
Making Sense of the ADHD Experience
ADHD isn’t just about distraction or hyperactivity, it’s about how your brain regulates attention, emotion, time, and motivation. And it often goes unrecognised in adults, especially in women or those with inattentive presentations. SST can offer:
Initial psychoeducation about how ADHD shows up across the lifespan
Help identifying common patterns like task paralysis, time blindness, emotional reactivity, or rejection sensitivity
A chance to explore internalised shame from years of feeling “too much,” “not enough,” or “inconsistent”
Reframing what looks like “laziness” or “disorganisation” as neurological differences, not moral failings
Even one session can bring immense relief when clients realise: It’s not just me. I’m not broken. This has a name.
Supporting the Diagnostic Journey
If you’re wondering whether you might have ADHD, SST can be a safe space to explore that question and get guidance on next steps:
We can discuss your symptoms, patterns, and history in a structured way
You’ll receive clear, practical guidance on how to pursue diagnosis, privately or through the NHS
We can talk through common concerns, such as fear of not being believed, stigma, or navigating healthcare systems
The diagnostic process can be confusing, invalidating, or slow. SST helps you feel more resourced and informed as you move through it.
Practical Strategies for Everyday Life
Whether or not you have a formal diagnosis, many people with ADHD benefit from targeted strategies to improve daily functioning and emotional regulation. A single session can help you identify:
What’s working, and what’s getting in your way
Tools for managing overwhelm, structuring time, or initiating tasks
Techniques for handling emotional spirals or decision fatigue
Simple, compassionate approaches to self-organisation that respect your brain’s wiring
SST is about finding what’s realistic and sustainable for you, and letting go of unhelpful perfectionism.
Navigating Relationships and Self-Worth
ADHD doesn’t just affect attention, it also shapes how you relate to yourself and others. Many clients seek support with:
Relationship difficulties stemming from impulsivity, emotional intensity, or miscommunication
Guilt over missed deadlines, forgotten plans, or inconsistency, which can strain trust with others
Feeling chronically misunderstood, or being accused of selfishness, laziness, or unreliability
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), a painful sensitivity to perceived rejection or criticism, which can lead to emotional withdrawal, conflict, or people-pleasing, even in otherwise healthy relationships
Anxiety and self-doubt that can mask or mimic ADHD symptoms, leading to confusion or misdiagnosis
SST can help you untangle these dynamics and begin to rebuild self-trust and compassion, especially if you’ve spent years feeling like something was “wrong” with you.
A Grounded Starting Point
For some people, SST becomes a one-off space to gain clarity, insight, and direction. For others, it opens the door to more in-depth exploration or support. Either way, it provides:
A non-judgmental environment to ask questions and reflect
Psychoeducation tailored to your concerns, not generic advice
Concrete next steps, whether diagnostic, emotional, or practical
A moment of relief, where you can feel understood and supported exactly as you are
What Else Can SST Support?
Single Session Therapy can be helpful for a wide range of personal issues, including:
Relationship crossroads (friendships, family, romantic)
Life transitions (career changes, moves, breakups)
Existential or spiritual questions ("Is this all there is?")
Feeling emotionally stuck or seeking a sense of renewal
Preparing for a challenging conversation or event
Some clients use SST to pause and reflect, while others come with a very specific outcome in mind. Either is welcome.
SST and the Existential Approach
Although Single Session Therapy is brief, it can still go deep—especially when grounded in an existential approach. Existential psychotherapy focuses on the realities of being human: choice, responsibility, uncertainty, and the search for meaning. It’s not abstract or overly philosophical, it’s rooted in the here and now, in the real dilemmas you face and the life you’re trying to live.
In the context of SST, the existential approach can be particularly helpful because it:
Clarifies what really matters: When time is limited, this approach helps you cut through mental clutter and reconnect with your core values and needs.
Supports decision-making: Many people seek a single session to think through a difficult choice. Existential therapy helps explore not just what to do, but why, what's meaningful and authentic for you.
Highlights personal agency: Even in uncertain or painful situations, the existential approach supports you to act from a place of self-awareness rather than reaction.
Creates space for honest reflection: Without rushing to “fix” things, it invites you to meet yourself with honesty, where you are now, what’s hurting, and what’s possible.
Even one session, held in this way, can leave you feeling more grounded, more clear, and more connected to yourself.
Is SST Right for You?
Single Session Therapy may be particularly suitable if you:
Have a specific issue you'd like focused attention on
Prefer intensive, concentrated interventions to extended therapy
Want to try therapy but feel uncertain about long-term commitment
Have found previous therapy helpful but need a "booster" session
Are facing a decision or transition point
Have practical barriers to attending multiple sessions
Value efficiency and goal-focused approaches
SST can complement other forms of support you may be receiving or serve as a complete intervention, depending on your needs and circumstances.
What can I expect from a Single Session?
A Single Session Therapy (SST) appointment lasts 75 minutes and is structured to make the most of our time together. While it’s just one session, it’s focused, collaborative, and designed to offer clarity and direction.
Here’s how it works:
Before the session (if we haven’t met before):
If we haven’t had an initial consultation, I’ll send you a short pre-session questionnaire. This helps me understand what you’re bringing to the session and whether SST is the right format for your needs. If it seems like a different kind of support would be more appropriate, I’ll let you know. If we agree to go forward with the session then we will book a time either online or from my practice in Blackheath, Southeast London.Goal-setting (First 10–15 minutes):
We’ll begin by identifying 2–3 key goals you’d like to focus on during the session. These might be practical (e.g. "How do I approach this decision?") or emotional (e.g. "I want to feel less overwhelmed"). We’ll agree on a clear focus so that our time feels purposeful.Exploration (Main body of the session):
We’ll explore what’s happening for you - thoughts, feelings, patterns, context. This is a space to talk things through, reflect, and make sense of your experience. I’ll ask questions, offer reflections, and gently challenge where needed to help you gain insight and clarity.Strategies and Next Steps (Final 10–15 minutes):
Towards the end of the session, we’ll draw things together and look at practical strategies or possible next steps. This might include tools to try, mindset shifts, boundary ideas, or resources to explore further. The aim is to leave with a clearer sense of direction.
You are welcome to take notes during the session, and I may also offer a short summary or reflection points afterwards if helpful.
Some people feel one session is enough. Others decide to book follow-ups. There’s no pressure either way. This is about supporting you in the way that feels right for where you are now.
Beyond the Session
While SST is complete in itself, many clients find it opens doors to further growth. Some return for additional single sessions when facing new challenges. Others use their SST experience as a foundation for longer-term therapeutic work. Still others find that single session provides all the support they need for their current concerns.
The choice remains entirely yours, which itself embodies the existential principle of taking responsibility for your own life and healing.
Ready to explore what's possible in a single session? Contact me to discuss how Single Session Therapy might support your journey towards greater authenticity, clarity, and wellbeing.
