The vast majority of patients who come to a Psychology consultation, the first thing they ask is how long the therapy will last. In fact, your reasons for worrying are not completely unfounded since you hear many stories on the street that claim that psychological therapy can last for weeks, months and even years.
Thus, each time a session ends, the patient may be waiting for the psychologist to “clear him” but instead hears a discouraging: “see you next week.” And history repeats itself week after week.
In fact, if you talk to friends, keep your ears open in a bar, or visit discussion forums on the Internet, you will be amazed to find a relatively large number of people who have stayed in therapy beyond the time they thought was necessary to solve their problems.
What science says
According to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, only 42% of people who receive psychotherapy need between 3 and 10 sessions. However, 1 in 9 people attend more than 20 sessions.
For this 11%, therapy can become a true dead end. In fact, this research has shown that the longer psychotherapy lasts, the more ineffective it is likely to be. However, many therapists are reluctant to admit defeat, especially psychoanalysts.
Continuing with scientific research, a study published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology found that people tended to show notable improvement between the seventh and tenth sessions. On this occasion, almost 2,000 people were analyzed and it was found that 88% improved after the first session but the success rate decreased as time went by. In fact, after 12 years the “healing rate” was 62%.
The therapist’s view
A very curious study carried out at the University of Pennsylvania showed that most traditional psychotherapists need an average of 22 sessions before recognizing that the therapy is not working. Of them, only 12% send their patients to another specialist to use techniques or a different therapeutic approach.
The reasons for this “immobility blindness” are many, one of them is that each person is different and some mental disorders are particularly difficult to treat. And this is true, but everything has a limit, since in reality many people go to the psychologist with quite simple problems that can be solved with two or three counseling sessions.
A problem from a therapeutic perspective?
A study conducted at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland found that patients of psychotherapists with a more proactive approach improved more quickly than those who saw psychotherapists with a cautious, non-intrusive approach.
Obviously, the approach changes with each case but in general, when someone comes to a consultation because their boyfriend or wife has abandoned them, they do not need to spend hours talking about the subject or bringing up details of their childhood, but rather they need precise guidance and strategies to make them facing their pain.
Of course, it is no secret to anyone that psychoanalytic therapy tends to be long while sessions where behavioral therapy is applied usually yield faster results. However, the secret is that the therapist is able to handle different techniques in order to apply the most appropriate one for each case. We must not forget that our objective as psychologists is to provide the person with the tools so that they no longer depend on our therapeutic action.
Patient responsibility fee
A psychotherapeutic relationship is bidirectional; for it to work, the patient must fully commit to the therapy. If he doesn’t do it, this could extend beyond what was planned. Unfortunately, in the popular imagination there are still many myths about what a psychotherapy session really is. Some think that it is enough to lie on the couch and chat while others believe that we should give them advice.
The truth is that a psychotherapy session has the objective of building a relationship in which the therapist helps the patient find the best solution for their problems. This means that also the patient have to take responsibility for it.
References:
Heinonen, E. et. Al. (2012) Therapists’ professional and personal characteristics as predictors of outcome in short- and long-term psychotherapy. Journal of Affective Disorders ; 138(3):301-312.
Hyun-nie, A. & Wampold, BE (2001) Where oh where are the specific ingredients? A meta-analysis of component studies in counseling and psychotherapy. Journal of Counseling Psychology ; 48(3): 251-257.
Crits-Christoph, P. (1992) The efficacy of brief dynamic psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. The American Journal of Psychiatry; 149(2): 151-158.
Howard, K.I. et. Al. (1986) The dose–effect relationship in psychotherapy. American Psychologist 41(2): 159-164.
