The aim of today’s article is to discover everything that Single Session Therapy is not , to focus on what this intervention method actually represents and how it can be best used once introduced into one’s professional practice .
Talking about SST without a specific analysis can sometimes lead to misunderstandings about its meaning and how it is applied, with whom and in what context .
So what is Single Session Therapy not?
- SST is not a model of therapy.
Single Session Therapy is not a therapeutic approach or model such as Ericksonian therapy or CBT. It is a method of intervention or better yet a way of providing therapeutic services in the mental health field that can be practiced by psychotherapists trained in different approaches (Hoyt et al. , 2018b).
- SST is not the answer to everything.
SST does not replace any way of providing therapy services, but can be implemented as an additional modality to respond to specific needs and complement other services such as in the case of Single Session Therapy practiced in Walk-In services .
- SST is not synonymous with quick fix.
Associating Single Session Therapy with the term quick fix is a way of describing, as often happens in the world of psychotherapy, a way of doing therapy following a temporary and ineffective approach. SST can actually be considered a way to help the person to unblock, encouraging them to use their own resources to solve the problem.
- SST is not a serious intervention because it is based on economic savings.
Although SST includes among its advantages also the limitation of costs, in reality the method was born on the basis of an important evidence, that is, that 1 is the most frequent number of sessions that people carry out , aiming to encourage people to find immediate help.
- SST is not a limitation to therapy.
Single Session Therapy does not mean stopping at just one therapy session . Although Single Session therapists strive to help people in one session, encouraging them to do their best in that encounter, if clients require multiple sessions, those sessions will be made available to them.
- SST is not a concentration of sessions.
Some people believe that SST is a form of rushed therapy where the therapist tries to squeeze multiple sessions into one meeting. This is far from the truth. One of the founding principles of Single Session Therapy is that “less is often more!” This principle guides the therapist to maximize the effectiveness of a single session rather than providing an experience where multiple sessions are squeezed into one.
- SST is not an emergency intervention.
While a single session can help people in crisis, SST is not intended to provide an emergency service .
- SST is not an easy method to apply as it is short and focused.
Due to its brief and focused nature , Single Session Therapy requires a high level of therapeutic skill .
- SST is not for everyone.
Although SST can be effective in a variety of settings, it is not suitable for all people or all therapists . Many clients may want ongoing therapy, not responding well to a single session. It may also not appeal to therapists who like to spend more time planning and executing therapeutic tasks, feeling ineffective where that time is limited (Dryden, 2019).
Conclusion
In this article we have addressed some erroneous beliefs and the result of a lack of in-depth knowledge regarding Single Session Therapy. However, starting from these beliefs has allowed us to visualize more clearly the true meaning of this method of intervention .
Angelica Giannetti
Psychologist, Psychotherapist
Team of the Italian Center
for Single Session Therapy
Bibliography.
Dryden, W. (2019). Single – Session Therapy. Routledge.
Hoyt, M. F., Bobele, M., Slive, A., Young, J. & Talmon, M. (Eds.). (2018b). Introduction: One-at-a-time/single-sessiom walk-in therapy. In M. E. Hoyt, M. Bobele, A. Slive, 1. Young & M. Talmon (Eds.). Single Session Therapy by Walk-In or Appointment: Administrative, Clinical and Supervisory Aspects of One-at-Time Services (pp. 3-24). Routledge.