I’ve recently been contacted by a number of prospective clients, and several of them asked me how many sessions they can expect to have if they work with me. This is a common question, and a good one: it’s important to have an idea of what you’re getting into when you hire a therapist.

I typically offer this response: it’s hard to say, but we’ll probably meet several times, depending on what you’re working on. Some people only need two or three sessions, and others like to meet with their therapist regularly for years. And then there’s the broad middle—the large group of people who need a dozen or so appointments before they determine that they’re ready to stop.

This seemed too vague, so I did some calculations. I added up the number of sessions I’ve done since I started my practice in September 2007 and divided it by the number of clients I’ve seen. The result: the average client sees me about nine times. Depending on who you are, that’s either a too-small or too-large number. If it seems too small, don’t worry: I have several great clients who see me regularly over a long period of time. And if it seems too large, don’t worry: I’ve gotten positive feedback from clients who experienced significant change in as few as one or two sessions.

Is this still too vague? Perhaps. I can crunch the numbers a bit more. But if you’re wondering how long you might have to work with me, it’s probably safe to assume that you’ll see me a couple of times and have a much better idea of what you’re interested in doing, and roughly how long you might want to be my client.

Finally, I can speak from my own experience. As a therapist, I think it’s essential that I do the work of therapy myself, and I’ve been working with a therapist since May of 2006. These days we meet every other week, though in the first couple of years it was a weekly arrangement. I find my time with her invaluable. It keeps me mindful of what it feels like to be on the “receiving end” of a counseling session, and she challenges me to stay sharp in my ongoing development in both my personal and professional life. Expensive? Well, I suppose. But so are cell phones. For me, it’s money well spent.

How many sessions do you need? It’s hard to say, but you’ll have a lot more insight on this question fairly early in our work together.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 6:45 pm and is filed under About my practice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.