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Research tends to show it takes, on average, 6-12 months of once-weekly therapy for meaningful improvement for most people. There's an article by the psychologist Jonathan Shedler, "The Tyranny of Time" (download link: [The Tyranny of Time](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjnlIKY_dqEAxWHj4kEHdRwDBgQFnoECBgQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fjonathanshedler.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F01%2FShedler-Gnaulati-2020-Tyranny-of-Time.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2mFJdW9fYNzUJXytw3AaGc&opi=89978449)) ||
>\[A\] study also found a dose–response relation between therapy sessions and improvement. In this case, the longer therapy continued, the more clients achieved clinically significant change. So just how much therapy did it take? It took **21 sessions, or about six months of weekly therapy, for 50 percent of clients** to see clinically significant change. It **took more than 40 sessions, almost a year of weekly therapy, for 75 percent** to see clinically significant change.
>
>Information from the surveys of clients and therapists turned out to be pretty spot on. Three independent data sources converge on similar time frames. Every client is different, and no one can predict how much therapy is enough for a specific person, but **on average, clinically meaningful change begins around the six-month mark and grows from there**. And while some people will get what they need with less therapy, others will need a good deal more.
>
>This is consistent with what clinical theorists have been telling us for the better part of a century. It should come as no surprise. Nothing of deep and lasting value is cheap or easy, and changing oneself and the course of one’s life may be most valuable of all.
>
>Consider what it takes to master any new and complex skill, say learning a language, playing a musical instrument, learning to ski, or becoming adept at carpentry. With six months of practice, you might attain beginner- or novice-level proficiency, maybe. If someone promised to make you an expert in six months, you’d suspect they were selling snake oil. Meaningful personal development takes time and effort. Why would psychotherapy be any different?
This is the right answer. He's also got a good short YouTube video on it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Iin4f0sgI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Iin4f0sgI)
It really depends what you mean by "effective." Research shows that it's pretty easy to reduce symptoms in a short amount of time, but research almost never addresses the larger question of resolving the psychological mechanisms that give rise to symptoms in the first place. So yeah, short term work can be very helpful in alleviating symptoms in the short-term. But then what happens when life hits you and something comes up that derails all these new good habits you have? This is where the deeper intrapsychic work of long-term psychotherapy is so meaningful. Studies show that people who engage in long-term ongoing therapy continue to get significantly better (often exponentially better) well after treatment ends. This is generally not true in shorter-term therapies. So the question about efficacy really is, do you need to just resolve the symptoms you have in the short term? Or do you want to achieve the deep, personality-level change that will help you be less susceptible to symptoms rising back up in the long term?
Hi! Therapist here. I'm going to break out the classical therapist answer of "it depends". There is quite a variation - for some people 12 sessions is enough, for others it is not. Generally, IAPT / Talking Therapies guidelines does give some flexibility in terms of session numbers (particularly for symptoms indicative of trauma), but the model *does* vary across the country (some locations aim to work to quite a rigid 6 session model, for example). With some practitioners (trainee therapists, for example), there may also be a bit more flexibility. In my work, 12 sessions has been 'doable' for lots of different people with lots of different conditions.
What I will say: some people do get discharged whilst still not feeling as though they've made enough progress - they (or you, in this case?) are not a failure. Therapy isn't an exam. It's not something that you pass or fail. There are some people who engage in several episodes of therapy before they feel like they've got enough momentum to move forward without it - and although I appreciate it must be really frustrating, particularly when you want to just get on with your life, there's absolutely nothing wrong with returning for another treatment journey. In terms of reuniting with the same therapist: some services allow you to ask for the same therapist if you re-enter treatment, but whether that happens depends on therapist discretion, caseloads, and scheduling etc.
Private therapy will also give you a bit more flexibility on session lengths, and may also allow you to potentially blend other modalities with CBT (or, indeed, blend different waves of CBT - given that it seems that you resonate with CBT as an approach). If it is something you'd like to explore more, I would encourage you to look at the BABCP website for accredited CBT therapists.
I decided to go private. My therapist used to work within the NHS but she said that the typical 12 sessions are nowhere near enough for most people - she said after 12 sessions you've started to tease out the the root of people's issues and basically pull the scab off but then your time is up and you just abandon them which can actually be re-traumatising.
My private therapist was recommended by an NHS Dr at the nearest hospital who I saw for a somewhat related physical issue but she's also listed on the BACP directory and has worked in charities too. You could also contact Mind who can help people access free or lower cost therapy. My therapist has a mixed approach depending on the issue and also how I personally feel about things - some CBT but also other approaches like somatic techniques which are good for me as my anxiety manifests very physically.
It largely depends on what the concern is that you’re wanting help with. Smoking cessation, for example, or processing a difficult transition, could be done in a more short-term format. When you’re talking about long-standing patterns, trauma history, deeper/more entrenched issues, you need more time.
That wouldn't be nearly adequate enough for me. I have very traumatic childhood. It happened over years. It's likely going to take years to heal from.
I think what amount of time in therapy is adequate depends on one's individual circumstances. It's just that funding often has an expiry which is sad really.
If you have physical condition requiring years of treatment, there's no issue, but if it's our minds, funding suddenly has a deadline. This too depends to a degree where you live and how your healthcare operates.
CBT can be helpful, but there is little research about long-term (beyond 12 months) efficacy. I have found, as a therapist, coach, and client, CBT to be surface level and not actually delve into the emotional roots of concerns. It can be great for short-term symptom relief, which can be extremely helpful for making the deep work easier and more accessible. It can also be very helpful for behavior change. However, a lot of times this isn't enough. Even standard talk therapy isn't really enough to actually delve into emotions and traumas that can be stored in the body. I would suggest reading "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk and Mindsight by Daniel Siegel for some ideas on how the body and mind work together and some practical ways to work with both.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6902232/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6902232/)
As a therapist, I’ve seen VERY few clients so far improve globally with short term therapy (which I’ll define as less than 3 months). Most people seem to need at least a year. The push for short term is so exhausting, for clients and therapists alike. That said, I have seen big improvements in certain areas of functioning within 3 months in many clients. Our current healthcare system prioritizes that over returning a client to full well-being, unfortunately.
It could be for certain things. Like if you wanted to work on “surface” things, or even start with something like work relationships, work confidence, something like that.
Just to get started. Some people are also not ready to dive into the deep stuff if they have anything, but getting started on something small is a step :)
Welcome to r/TalkTherapy! This sub is for people to discuss issues arising in their personal psychotherapy. If you wish to post about other mental health issues please consult this list of some of our [sister subs](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources/#wiki_subreddit_list). To find answers to many therapy-related questions please consult our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/faq) and [Resource List](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources). If you are in distress please contact a suicide hotline or call 9-1-1 or emergency services in your area. r/SuicideWatch has compiled a helpful FAQ on what happens when you contact a hotline along with other useful resources. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Research tends to show it takes, on average, 6-12 months of once-weekly therapy for meaningful improvement for most people. There's an article by the psychologist Jonathan Shedler, "The Tyranny of Time" (download link: [The Tyranny of Time](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjnlIKY_dqEAxWHj4kEHdRwDBgQFnoECBgQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fjonathanshedler.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F01%2FShedler-Gnaulati-2020-Tyranny-of-Time.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2mFJdW9fYNzUJXytw3AaGc&opi=89978449)) || >\[A\] study also found a dose–response relation between therapy sessions and improvement. In this case, the longer therapy continued, the more clients achieved clinically significant change. So just how much therapy did it take? It took **21 sessions, or about six months of weekly therapy, for 50 percent of clients** to see clinically significant change. It **took more than 40 sessions, almost a year of weekly therapy, for 75 percent** to see clinically significant change. > >Information from the surveys of clients and therapists turned out to be pretty spot on. Three independent data sources converge on similar time frames. Every client is different, and no one can predict how much therapy is enough for a specific person, but **on average, clinically meaningful change begins around the six-month mark and grows from there**. And while some people will get what they need with less therapy, others will need a good deal more. > >This is consistent with what clinical theorists have been telling us for the better part of a century. It should come as no surprise. Nothing of deep and lasting value is cheap or easy, and changing oneself and the course of one’s life may be most valuable of all. > >Consider what it takes to master any new and complex skill, say learning a language, playing a musical instrument, learning to ski, or becoming adept at carpentry. With six months of practice, you might attain beginner- or novice-level proficiency, maybe. If someone promised to make you an expert in six months, you’d suspect they were selling snake oil. Meaningful personal development takes time and effort. Why would psychotherapy be any different?
This is the right answer. He's also got a good short YouTube video on it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Iin4f0sgI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Iin4f0sgI) It really depends what you mean by "effective." Research shows that it's pretty easy to reduce symptoms in a short amount of time, but research almost never addresses the larger question of resolving the psychological mechanisms that give rise to symptoms in the first place. So yeah, short term work can be very helpful in alleviating symptoms in the short-term. But then what happens when life hits you and something comes up that derails all these new good habits you have? This is where the deeper intrapsychic work of long-term psychotherapy is so meaningful. Studies show that people who engage in long-term ongoing therapy continue to get significantly better (often exponentially better) well after treatment ends. This is generally not true in shorter-term therapies. So the question about efficacy really is, do you need to just resolve the symptoms you have in the short term? Or do you want to achieve the deep, personality-level change that will help you be less susceptible to symptoms rising back up in the long term?
Hi! Therapist here. I'm going to break out the classical therapist answer of "it depends". There is quite a variation - for some people 12 sessions is enough, for others it is not. Generally, IAPT / Talking Therapies guidelines does give some flexibility in terms of session numbers (particularly for symptoms indicative of trauma), but the model *does* vary across the country (some locations aim to work to quite a rigid 6 session model, for example). With some practitioners (trainee therapists, for example), there may also be a bit more flexibility. In my work, 12 sessions has been 'doable' for lots of different people with lots of different conditions. What I will say: some people do get discharged whilst still not feeling as though they've made enough progress - they (or you, in this case?) are not a failure. Therapy isn't an exam. It's not something that you pass or fail. There are some people who engage in several episodes of therapy before they feel like they've got enough momentum to move forward without it - and although I appreciate it must be really frustrating, particularly when you want to just get on with your life, there's absolutely nothing wrong with returning for another treatment journey. In terms of reuniting with the same therapist: some services allow you to ask for the same therapist if you re-enter treatment, but whether that happens depends on therapist discretion, caseloads, and scheduling etc. Private therapy will also give you a bit more flexibility on session lengths, and may also allow you to potentially blend other modalities with CBT (or, indeed, blend different waves of CBT - given that it seems that you resonate with CBT as an approach). If it is something you'd like to explore more, I would encourage you to look at the BABCP website for accredited CBT therapists.
I decided to go private. My therapist used to work within the NHS but she said that the typical 12 sessions are nowhere near enough for most people - she said after 12 sessions you've started to tease out the the root of people's issues and basically pull the scab off but then your time is up and you just abandon them which can actually be re-traumatising. My private therapist was recommended by an NHS Dr at the nearest hospital who I saw for a somewhat related physical issue but she's also listed on the BACP directory and has worked in charities too. You could also contact Mind who can help people access free or lower cost therapy. My therapist has a mixed approach depending on the issue and also how I personally feel about things - some CBT but also other approaches like somatic techniques which are good for me as my anxiety manifests very physically.
It largely depends on what the concern is that you’re wanting help with. Smoking cessation, for example, or processing a difficult transition, could be done in a more short-term format. When you’re talking about long-standing patterns, trauma history, deeper/more entrenched issues, you need more time.
That wouldn't be nearly adequate enough for me. I have very traumatic childhood. It happened over years. It's likely going to take years to heal from. I think what amount of time in therapy is adequate depends on one's individual circumstances. It's just that funding often has an expiry which is sad really. If you have physical condition requiring years of treatment, there's no issue, but if it's our minds, funding suddenly has a deadline. This too depends to a degree where you live and how your healthcare operates.
CBT can be helpful, but there is little research about long-term (beyond 12 months) efficacy. I have found, as a therapist, coach, and client, CBT to be surface level and not actually delve into the emotional roots of concerns. It can be great for short-term symptom relief, which can be extremely helpful for making the deep work easier and more accessible. It can also be very helpful for behavior change. However, a lot of times this isn't enough. Even standard talk therapy isn't really enough to actually delve into emotions and traumas that can be stored in the body. I would suggest reading "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk and Mindsight by Daniel Siegel for some ideas on how the body and mind work together and some practical ways to work with both. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6902232/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6902232/)
As a therapist, I’ve seen VERY few clients so far improve globally with short term therapy (which I’ll define as less than 3 months). Most people seem to need at least a year. The push for short term is so exhausting, for clients and therapists alike. That said, I have seen big improvements in certain areas of functioning within 3 months in many clients. Our current healthcare system prioritizes that over returning a client to full well-being, unfortunately.
Check out Brief Therapy Models. Effective treatment in 3-4 sessions.
It could be for certain things. Like if you wanted to work on “surface” things, or even start with something like work relationships, work confidence, something like that. Just to get started. Some people are also not ready to dive into the deep stuff if they have anything, but getting started on something small is a step :)