The aim of today’s article is to propose the use of Single Session Therapy (SST) as a strategy for the development of Scalable Healthcare Services. As is well known, the mental health service delivery system has been overloaded for some time and is unable to meet the current demand for services, with long waiting lists accumulating. This issue, in addition to impacting accessibility to services, is unlikely to be addressed by the dominant treatment delivery models, which often offer multiple in-person therapy sessions provided by highly qualified professionals.
What are Scalable Healthcare Services?
Scalable healthcare services refer to healthcare systems or models designed to be adaptable and expandable efficiently to meet the growing treatment needs of a population or specific geographic area.
What does the concept of scalability refer to in the context of healthcare services?
In this context, the idea of scalability refers to the ability to increase or decrease resources and performance based on demand, without compromising the quality of care provided. In summary, scalable healthcare services aim to ensure that healthcare resources are optimized to address demand effectively and can dynamically adapt to changes in the population’s needs.
What does this strategy entail?
These services often incorporate technologies and innovations that enable greater efficiency in care delivery, such as telemedicine, integrated information systems for patient management, and automation of administrative processes. Moreover, scalability can be implemented through the adoption of flexible organizational models that allow for rapid responses to changes in the healthcare needs of the community.
How can SST represent a useful strategy for the realization of scalable services?
Single Session Therapy (SST) and scalable healthcare services are related concepts but represent different approaches to mental health service delivery.
Let’s look at the differences!
SST is a method that focuses on providing complete therapeutic interventions in a single session, rather than a series of regular sessions over time. This method is often used in contexts where access to long-term care is limited or in emergency situations. This approach can be useful to provide immediate and targeted intervention, but it may not be suitable for all types of issues or patients and may require appropriate follow-up.
Scalable Healthcare Services, as described above, are designed to adapt effectively to variations in demand and healthcare needs within a population, without compromising care quality. This can involve the implementation of innovative technologies, flexible organizational models, and care delivery strategies that allow services to be expanded or reduced according to needs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Single Session Therapy focuses on delivering a complete therapeutic intervention in itself, Scalable Healthcare Services relate to the ability to adapt the entire healthcare system to provide effective, high-quality care in response to the changing needs of the population. Integrating these two approaches would allow for the implementation of evidence-based, single-session interventions to people who have been on long waiting lists for treatment, helping to overcome this issue.
Angelica Giannetti
Psychologist, Psychotherapist
Team of the Italian Center for Single Session Therapy
References
CannistrĂ , F. & Piccirilli, F. (2018). Terapia a seduta singola. Principi e pratiche. Giunti.
Sung, J. Y., Bugatti, M., Vivian, D., & Schleider, J. L. (2023). Evaluating a telehealth single-session consultation service for clients on psychotherapy wait-lists. Practice Innovations, 8(2), 141–161.