As already discussed above, the therapist who wants to start using the Single Session Therapy method in his professional activity will not necessarily have to change his therapeutic approach or learn a new one, just as he will not have to abandon the use of techniques. consolidated or even change their professional structure.
In this regard, we have already suggested some ways through which the therapist can experiment with the application of TSS , using it as an alternative to the free interview , as a second consultation or as an online intervention .
But are these the only opportunities for using TSS?
Actually no.
The objective of this article, in fact, will be precisely to illustrate another way of applying the single intervention, that is to work with people already included in a path .
At this point you are surely wondering how it is possible to use TSS within a path that has already started several weeks, if not months or even years.
On the one hand, various researches (Miller et al., 2003) have shown that the most significant changes occur in the early stages of a therapy, highlighting how the first and sometimes only interview is already effective in itself.
On the other hand, a fundamental aspect that makes a single session intervention effective is the belief system on the effectiveness of the intervention by the therapist (Slive & Bobele, 2014).
But what is meant by the therapist’s belief system?
As we were saying, to practice TSS it is not necessary to have a theoretical or ideological frame of reference, but rather a specific mindset capable of orienting the way of dealing with therapy.
If the therapist, for example, deems it possible to produce a change in a single session lasting one hour, this will also be transmitted to the patient and together they will try to get the most out of that session, maintaining a high motivation and concentration towards the achievement. of the result.
This mindset will therefore make the single intervention highly effective .
So why not adopt the TSS mindset even within courses that have already started?
Overlapping the vertical therapeutic process in which a single encounter is considered as complete in itself, with a horizontal therapeutic process where the path is characterized by a sequence of linked encounters will make the intervention offered more effective.
How will the effectiveness of the intervention increase?
Getting the most out of every single meeting will not preclude the patient from returning for other interviews and following a more complex path.
However , the mental attitude focused on achieving the goal will offer the therapist and the patient not only the opportunity to use the time available within the session in a more functional way, but also the possibility of setting long-term goals as a final result. of the specific objectives achieved in the individual sessions.
Conclusions
To conclude, one of the fundamental aspects for practicing TSS is that linked to the acquisition of a specific mindset that will help both the therapist and the patient to keep focused on achieving the goal in every single meeting. This change in the attitude towards therapy will not necessarily exclude the possibility of practicing vertical therapeutic paths (complete in themselves) within therapeutic processes with multiple sessions. This could represent an opportunity for the therapist to experiment in the application of TSS, while maximizing the effectiveness of the horizontal therapeutic processes already started .
Angelica Giannetti
Psychologist, Psychotherapist
Team of the Italian Center
for Single Session Therapy
Bibliography
Cannistrà, F., Piccirilli, F. (2018). Single session therapy. Principles and practices. Giunti Editore, Florence.
Miller, S. et al. (2003). The Outcome Rating Scales: apreliminary study of the reliability, validity, and feasibility of a brief visual analog measure, Journal of Brief Therapy , 3 (3).
Slive, A., Bobele, M. (2014). Walk-in single session therapy: accessible mental health services. In MF Hoyt, M. Talmon (2014), Capturing the Moment. Single Session therapy and walk-in services, Crown House , Bancyfelin, .pp. 73 -94.