Most often people come in for individual psychotherapy.  These sessions are 50 – 60 minutes in length, which is usually enough time to address an issue in depth.  People tend to come in weekly in the beginning, dropping down to every other week later on.  Weekly sessions also allow both of us to get to know each other better, and deepen the work each time.  It is helpful to come to each session ready to work, on time, perhaps even with notes of things you’ve thought of throughout the week.

Individual work can be as long or short as you want it to be.  Some clients feel they are able to resolve their issues in as short as one session, although what’s most common is to work together for at least three months.  Some people have made a choice to continue work with me for several years, and have made very significant life changes, and accomplished long-term goals.  There is no one “right way” to do therapy, nor do I as a therapist make rigid demands on how long we might work together.  I can, however, offer my opinion of how long it might take to help you reach your goals.

Speaking of goals, some therapists (and some clients) are very goal-directed.  I find that to a degree having goals to work toward can be helpful, but sometimes they can be distracting.  For instance, a person often makes the decision to come to therapy months or even years after they first thought of it, and only now because they just don’t want to carry around the pain any more.  So their goal is to get out of pain.  Once we explore the surrounding situation, longstanding patterns and attitudes come to light that redirect where the client wants to go.  “I hate my boss” might reveal an underlying misgiving about one’s chosen career, and with exploration we discover together that a different issue and goal emerge:  “I want to overcome my fears about giving up my job to go back to school to become a (you fill in the blank.)  So I am not rigid about goals, although they can be helpful to get you started.

Beth Strong, MA, LPC
Holistic Psychotherapist & Astrologer
234 Columbine, Suite 300
Denver, Colorado 80206
303-322-4224