The aim of this article is to show how Single Session Therapy (SST) has shaped not only my clinical work but also my ability to design and deliver training.
Let me introduce myself!
I am Simona Toriello, a psychologist specializing in Systemic-Strategic Brief Therapy at the ICNOS Institute, and a trainer.
My work has evolved alongside my experiences and personal development, across a range of settings including career guidance, prevention and education programs in schools, and coordinating educational and youth outreach services.
Today my clinical practice runs alongside my work as a trainer: I teach on soft skills topics in a variety of settings. I live and work mainly in the UNESCO World Heritage area of the Prosecco Hills.
I encountered Single Session Therapy early in my career, when I needed practical tools for conducting a single psychological support session. But over time I gradually absorbed its underlying mindset, and today I realize just how much it shapes different aspects of my profession.
In this blog article, I would like to explore exactly how the Single Session Therapy method can be useful across different contexts, including training and organizational settings.
How does the Single Session mindset apply across different intervention contexts?
Applying the Single Session mindset requires the practitioner to pay attention to several key elements, including:
-
Trust in resources
One of the founding principles of the SST mindset is trust in the resources of the people we work with.
In my teaching work, I’m drawn to the idea of “drawing something out” of participants, rather than simply delivering theoretical content. It’s no coincidence that, for me, teaching also means educating — from the Latin educĕre, “to draw out.” The training experience becomes a transformative one, where each participant, through engagement with the material and with their peers, can learn and change. The person and the group are truly at the center; the trainer’s role becomes similar to a lighthouse that marks the course and guides the journey, without steering the ship itself.
-
Focus on the person
Putting the client at the center is possible not only through trust in resources, but also through the awareness that every person is different. Tuning in to whoever is in front of us is essential. Adapting to what a specific audience brings — questions, resistance, their own pace — is, for me, a constant practice, whether in the therapy room or the classroom.
It’s essential to maintain constant attention to the uniqueness of the group and its specific characteristics. It is this ongoing adaptation that makes every training experience new, and that fosters cooperation, relationship, and learning.
-
The Present
In the Single Session Therapy mindset, the present takes on the meaning of presence, of gift (understood as an exchange of stories, experiences, understanding, and empathy), and of the present as a moment in time (Talmon, 2024). Keeping these concepts in mind consistently shapes my work, making me more proactive, and reinforcing my belief that even a single training session can be transformative for each individual who takes part in it.
Conclusions
Single Session Therapy has given me something that goes beyond clinical tools: a professional stance. A way of standing in front of a person or a group — in the therapy room as in the classroom — that focuses on the present, on resources, and on the trust that every single encounter can spark meaningful change.
With this article, I wanted to share how the SST mindset runs through my work as a common thread. In future contributions, I look forward to exploring further how this method can be integrated into different contexts.
Simona Toriello
Psychologist, Specializing in Systemic-Strategic Brief Therapy
at the ICNOS Institute
Bibliography
Hoyt, M. F. & Talmon, M. (Eds.). (2014). Capturing the moment: Single-session therapy and walk-in services. Crown House Publishing.
Piccirilli, F., & Cannistrà, F. (2018). Terapia a seduta singola: Principi e pratiche. Bompiani.
Talmon, M. (2024). The Golden Hour: SST as a Life-Long Event. In Single Session Therapies (pp. 26–40). Routledge.
Yalom, I. D., Leszcz, M. (2009). Teoria e pratica della psicoterapia di gruppo. Bollati Boringhieri, Torino.