2.5 hours, $200
No fear, this post isn’t about politics! I’m revisiting the question of when and how long to have counseling sessions. The traditional model is one hour, once a week. I’ve learned both in my own work experience and from other therapists that this is not the best model.
It’s not intense enough.
First, let’s look at the first session. When you come in for the first time, you and I need to get to know each other (at least as much as we can in that short hour), work out what your counseling will look like, be sure you’ve filled out the registration forms, and then tackle what you came in to discuss. That’s a tall order. And it’s why I offer a 90-minute first session for the same $100 fee.
But it doesn’t get much easier in later sessions if we limit ourselves to one hour per week. After seven days, you may have forgotten what we discussed, or lost your excitement about it, or let it all blend into itself so that you’re confused, unsure what you were supposed to do to get yourself ready for session 2. Fortunately, I keep good notes and have a good memory, and you are always free to call or email me if you want to check in before the next session, but even so, it isn’t hard for the intensity of our work to lose strength when we stick to the one-hour-per-week model. It’s certainly possible–and it happens often enough in my practice–but it’s not always easy.
So here’s my offer. If you’re a client of mine–brand-new or not, it doesn’t matter–I’m offering you a 2.5-hour session for the price of two sessions ($200), a savings of $50. Ideally we would do the whole thing in one 2.5-hour block (with a short stretch break in the middle). But I will offer you this discount if you schedule two appointments (one for an hour, the other for an hour and a half) in the same week. Either way, we get your intensity up, and we have more time to really dig in and get you moving on your issues.
Please note that this offer is extended alongside my usual practice of offering one free 90-minute session, which means that you could do 2.5 hours on week one, then 2.5 hours on week two, and the whole thing only costs $400 (a savings of $100). It’s like having five sessions in two weeks rather than five. That’s a lot of intensity! I offer this because I do believe that compressing your work with me is helpful for you. You’ll move faster, and you’ll dig deeper.
And if it sounds exhausting, that’s because it can be exhausting! But remember the stretch breaks, and think about it. You could make a lot of progress in a short time, and for less cost. I hope to see you soon!
