The aim of today’s article is to share some reflections on Single Session Therapy (SST) in order to highlight its potential.
By examining four common misconceptions about SST (Young, 2018), we will explore how this method represents a flexible, diverse, and generative way of delivering services, capable of fostering transparent, client-centred practices, highly accessible mental health services, and stronger collaboration across services, disciplines, and therapeutic approaches.
Let’s Take a Look at the Four Common Misconceptions About SST
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SST Is Considered a Specific Therapy Model
Single Session Therapy is often associated with particular therapeutic models, such as Solution-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, or Cognitive Therapy, or it is described as a specific therapeutic approach. This perspective is not only inaccurate but also limiting, as it creates the false belief that therapists from different theoretical backgrounds cannot embrace SST and incorporate it into their clinical practice (Hubble et al., 1999).
When Single Session Therapy is instead understood as an approach to therapeutic practice or as a model of service delivery (Campbell, 2012), it immediately becomes possible to integrate it with a wide range of therapeutic approaches without altering the underlying philosophy of change associated with the chosen model.
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SST Is Described as Brief Therapy Rather Than as a Possible Response to People Seeking Help
The belief that Single Session Therapy is simply a form of brief therapy that limits intervention by establishing a predetermined number of sessions is one of the main reasons why some professionals hesitate to adopt the method.
A service system based on the delivery of SST, however, can be used to manage limited resources while still providing care that responds effectively to clients’ needs. Although Single Session Therapy often reduces the number of sessions required, it does not replace other forms of care, such as long-term therapy, brief therapy, or what Cummings (1990) described as “intermittent therapy throughout the life cycle.”
For practitioners wishing to implement SST, it is important to remember that if clients request further support after a session, additional sessions should not only be made available but should also be viewed as a natural and successful outcome of the Single Session Therapy approach.
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SST Is Suitable Only for Clients with Simple Problems
Some therapists believe that Single Session Therapy is not appropriate for addressing complex problems. This assumption is based on the belief that there is a direct relationship between the complexity of a client’s difficulties and the amount of time they need to spend in therapy. According to this view, complex issues require profound change that can only emerge through lengthy, intensive, and deeply rooted therapeutic work.
However, research does not support this assumption (Talmon, 1990; Hoyt & Talmon, 2014).
Focusing on what can be achieved by making the most of the first session while knowing that additional sessions remain available if needed can make working with complex problems feel much more manageable. To illustrate this point, imagine a service system in which an initial Single Session Therapy appointment is followed, when appropriate, by access to additional services based on the client’s needs. Such a system would allow both clinicians and organisations to avoid the difficult if not impossible task of deciding in advance who is or is not suitable for a “one-off” therapy session.
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SST Does Not Include Additional Sessions
Perhaps the most damaging misconception limiting the wider adoption of SST as a service delivery model is the belief that it refers exclusively to treatment consisting of a single session.
Among critics of Single Session Therapy, the idea that treatment should ideally end after one session reinforces the misconception that SST is designed primarily to reduce therapy resources rather than to make the best possible use of available healthcare resources.
Furthermore, for those who believe that successful SST should never involve additional sessions, this misconception places unnecessary pressure on therapists while overlooking the possibility that clients may benefit from returning for further appointments when needed.
Conclusion
Reflecting on the most common misconceptions surrounding Single Session Therapy reminds us that, to fully realise its potential, SST should be understood primarily as a service delivery model rather than as a model of brief therapy.
Viewing Single Session Therapy from this perspective allows it to become a vehicle for improving access to mental health services while responding more effectively to clients’ individual needs. Moreover, its structure has the potential to facilitate access not only to additional forms of psychotherapy but also to a wide range of non-therapeutic servicesincluding physiotherapy, legal advice, financial counselling, and home-based supportcreating greater collaboration and synergy across different professional disciplines.
Angelica Giannetti
Psychologist, Psychotherapist
Italian Center for Single Session Therapy Team
References
Cannistrà , F., & Piccirilli, F. (2018). Terapia a Seduta Singola: Principi e pratiche. Giunti Editore.
Campbell, A. (2012). Single-session approaches to therapy: Time to review. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 33(1), 15-26.
Cummings, N. (1990). The Credentialing of Professional Psychologists and Its Implication for the Other Mental Health Disciplines. Journal of Counseling & Development, Vol. 68, Issue 5.
Hoyt, M. F., & Talmon, M. (Eds.). (2014). Capturing the moment: Single session therapy and walk-in services. Crown House Publishing Limited.
Hubble M.A., Duncan B. L., Miller S.D., Wampold B.E. (1999). The Heart and Soul of Change: Delivering What Works in Therapy. American Psychological Association.
Young, J. (2018). Single-Session Therapy: The Misunderstood Gift that Keeps On Giving in Michael F.H., Bobele M., Slive A., Young J., Talmon M. (A cura di). Single Session Therapy by Walk-in or Appointment. Administrative, Clinical, and Supervisory Aspects of One-at-a-Time Services. Routuledge.
Talmon, M. (1990). Terapia a seduta singola: massimizzare l’effetto del primo (e spesso unico) incontro terapeutico. Jossey-Bass.