An out-of-state Mom, whose son attends a local school, called to discuss the possibility of my working with him, which I appreciated. During our conversation, she identified several issues that he's struggling with, including relationships with a roommate and a girlfriend, and asked how much therapy might be needed to deal with those issues.
My reply was that the length of therapy is not so much about the issues that the person has as about the person having them. On reflection, I'd add, "and the people he's having issues with."
When it comes down to it, just about all therapy is about relationships, whether it takes one session or a thousand. There's an enormous variation in how much time and help people need; including, at the beginning of therapy, what they know and can learn, what they do and can change, and how quickly they can get to work on their perceptions, emotions and behaviors in order to make things better. And who the roommate and girlfriend are, in this case, could be as important as who the client is.
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2 comments:
So how do you and/or a client determine when you can stop?
You will love this:
http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/2010/05/07/236-the-efficacy-of-psychodynamic-therapies-with-jonathan-shedler/
--Scott Hoye
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