AP – In the run-up to the 2025 holiday season, Julie Hart found herself in a state of stagnation. She was plagued by a persistent issue that caused her to reflect on nearly every aspect of her life.
Traditional therapy was an option she considered, but she opted for single-session counseling instead. This approach involved just 60 minutes dedicated to addressing her problem, and it proved successful.
“It helped me get unstuck, is how I would describe it, in a very positive, meaningful, and effective way,” said Hart, who resides in Springfield, Virginia.
According to experts, a growing number of individuals like Hart are choosing this focused method over the long-term commitment of traditional therapy.
Single-session counseling involves a one-hour meeting where the counselor guides the client in identifying specific steps to alleviate a particular issue. The goal isn’t to completely resolve the problem but to equip clients with a set of strategies to tackle it.
“Those strategies made all kinds of sense,” Hart noted. “But you can’t identify them when you’re in it.”
Experts point to research that it works
Jessica Schleider, a psychology professor at Northwestern University and the founding director of the Lab for Scalable Mental Health, highlighted that research into single-session interventions has greatly expanded in the last five to ten years. Her lab’s meta-analysis of 415 clinical trials demonstrated that single-session approaches generally reduced mental health challenges across a range of issues, including depression and anxiety, affecting both young people and adults.
Where single-session therapy comes from
While not a new concept—it was notably offered by Sigmund Freud—single-session therapy has gained traction as an effective solution to bridge gaps in mental health care access, which is increasingly in demand, according to Schleider.
Traditional therapy costs have surged to several hundred dollars monthly, and even those with the means or insurance face long waiting times.
“Even if we doubled miraculously the number of trained mental health professionals overnight, we still wouldn’t come anywhere close to meeting the need for mental health support,” Schleider explained.
Additional barriers, such as the inability to take time off work for weekly sessions, further complicate access. Data suggest that most people attend just one session, as many do not return after starting, Schleider noted.
“It’s a really elegant solution to get people support they need at the moment that need arises,” she added.
How it differs from traditional therapy
Sharon Thomas, a psychologist and director of single-session therapy at the Ross Center in Washington, D.C., explained that both counselor and client come to the session with expectations: “That the client will be able to have meaningful change in their life, and that we’ll see an improvement in both their self-efficacy and a decline in their symptoms in just one visit.”
Rather than conducting a comprehensive assessment of the client’s history and current situation, the counselor focuses on a specific problem. By the conclusion of the session, clients leave with a written plan outlining steps to address their issue.
“Not everyone wants to discuss childhood trauma,” Thomas observed. “It’s very much focused on what the client wants to focus on in that moment.”
Who it’s for
Arnold Slive, a psychology professor at Our Lady of the Lake University in Texas, believes that most people can benefit from single-session therapy. Whether dealing with a challenging work situation or a more enduring condition like anxiety, this approach can be helpful. Slive, who pioneered walk-in single-session therapy clinics in Canada in the 1990s, emphasized that counselors must still screen for self-harm risks and that those with chronic mental health issues might still need traditional therapy or medication.
“It’s not meant to replace all those other things that mental health professionals do, but it can help people feel better,” Slive commented.
Clients enter these sessions with inherent strengths that assist in addressing their issues. Single-session therapy often attracts individuals who are uncertain about traditional therapy’s suitability for them.
“It’s like putting a toe in the water,” Slive remarked.
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As for Hart, she continued to feel positive months later and expressed confidence knowing she could return if needed.
“I left feeling so optimistic,” Hart shared.
