Single-Session Therapy
Single-Session Therapy
One session may be enough for now
You may have something particular you want to talk through without committing to ongoing counselling. It might be a decision you are considering, something that has happened, a life change, a difficult conversation, or an issue you would like some focused time to explore.
Single-Session Therapy is a focused counselling service designed to make purposeful use of one session. We approach the session knowing that it may be the only session you need for now. That does not mean trying to solve everything in one appointment. It means identifying what you would like help with, agreeing on a focus for our time together and working towards something that would be useful to you.
One session may be enough. You may also decide afterwards that you would like another session or ongoing counselling. You are in the driver’s seat.
What might you bring to a single session?
You do not need to arrive with everything worked out. Part of the work can be clarifying the issue, concern or situation you want to focus on, what you would like from the session and what you would like to have gained from our time together.
You might want to:
- talk through a particular problem or situation
- consider a decision
- make sense of something that has happened
- explore one aspect of grief or loss
- think about a change or transition in your life
- prepare for a difficult conversation
- understand something you keep getting stuck around
- consider different ways of responding to a situation
- explore possible solutions to a particular concern
The focus does not have to fit neatly into a particular category. What matters is identifying something that would be useful for us to give particular attention to during the session.
Before we meet
Before the session, you will be asked to complete a short pre-session questionnaire. This gives you an opportunity to think about what has brought you to counselling, the issue you would most like to focus on and what you hope to get from our time together.
You do not need to have a perfectly defined goal or know what the solution might be. The questionnaire helps you begin thinking about the session before we meet and gives us a useful starting point. It needs to be returned at least 48 hours before your appointment.
What happens during the session?
A Single-Session Therapy appointment is 90 minutes. We begin by clarifying the issue, concern or situation you want to work on, what help you are looking for from me and what you would like to get from the session. Together, we agree on a focus and keep that in mind as the session develops.
What happens from there will depend on what you bring. We may look more closely at the situation and how you understand it, consider different perspectives, draw on your existing strengths and resources, explore previous attempts to deal with it, or look at possible solutions or different ways of responding.
Where it is useful, we may also consider how you could put something from the session into practice afterwards. Towards the end, we will look at what has stood out for you, what you are taking from the conversation and what you want to do from there.
After the session
A 20–30 minute follow-up session is included in the Single-Session Therapy fee. You can choose whether you would like to use it, and you’re responsible for arranging the follow-up within three months of the original session.
The follow-up gives us an opportunity to look at what has happened since we met, what has been useful, what has changed or stayed the same, and where things stand now.
If you choose not to use the follow-up, or do not arrange it within three months, the unused follow-up is not refundable or transferable.
How is this different from booking one counselling session?
You are always free to book an initial counselling appointment and decide not to continue afterwards. Single-Session Therapy is different because it is intentionally planned and structured as a focused piece of counselling from the beginning.
The $320 fee includes:
- a pre-session questionnaire
- a focused 90-minute counselling session
- a 20–30 minute follow-up session to be used within three months
Rather than treating the appointment as the beginning of an assumed course of counselling, we approach it as a potentially complete piece of work in itself, while remaining open to the possibility that you may want further counselling later.
How can we meet?
Single-Session Therapy is available online across Australia. Home visit or outdoor counselling sessions may also be available in Melbourne by prior arrangement.
We can consider which setting is most appropriate for what you want to bring to the session. Additional travel fees may apply to home visits.
My approach to Single-Session Therapy
I have undertaken specific training in Single-Session Therapy and use the model as a focused way of working within counselling.
We begin with what you would like help with, what you would like us to focus on and what you hope to get from our time together. From there, we work with what you have brought, which may include considering different perspectives, drawing on your existing strengths and resources, exploring possible solutions or considering something you might want to try afterwards.
The aim is not to cover everything or assume that everything can be resolved in one meeting. It is to make purposeful use of the session we have.
Is Single-Session Therapy suitable for everyone?
Single-Session Therapy will not suit every situation. Some concerns benefit from ongoing counselling, particularly where there are several interconnected issues or where continuity and an ongoing therapeutic relationship are important.
If the information you provide before the session suggests that Single-Session Therapy may not be appropriate for your needs, I will contact you to discuss other options.
Single-Session Therapy is not an emergency or crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 000. Lifeline is available 24 hours a day on 13 11 14.
If you are unsure whether Single-Session Therapy would suit what you want to discuss, you are welcome to book a free 15-minute enquiry call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know exactly what I want to talk about before I book?
No. It helps to have something you would like to focus on, but you do not need to arrive with a perfectly formed goal. The pre-session questionnaire and the beginning of the session can help clarify what would be most useful to work on.
Can I book Single-Session Therapy if I have already had counselling before?
Yes. You can use Single-Session Therapy whether this is your first experience of counselling or you have had therapy before. The focus is on what you want help with now.
Can Single-Session Therapy be used for grief or a life transition?
Yes, if there is a particular aspect you would like to focus on. For example, you may want to make sense of something that has happened, think through a decision, prepare for a conversation, or explore one part of a loss or transition.
Can Single-Session Therapy be useful for chronic disorganisation?
Yes, if there is a specific issue you would like to focus on. For example, you may want to think through one decision, explore what is getting in the way of a particular task, consider how to approach one area of overwhelm, or make sense of a pattern you have noticed.
Single-Session Therapy is less suited to trying to address chronic disorganisation as a whole, where ongoing counselling may be more useful.
What happens if I book and Single-Session Therapy does not seem suitable?
If the information you provide before the session suggests that another type of support would be more appropriate, I will contact you to discuss the options before the appointment.