How long should I have therapy for?

The length of time to have therapy will depend very much on your goals, when you feel you have reached where you want to get to, and, of course, affordability.

I recommend aiming for 6-10 weekly sessions to start from and we can review how you are finding therapy as we go along. To be able to go deeply into patterns of behaviour which are often rooted in our early experiences is likely to take longer.

For a shorter number of sessions, a key focus can be expanding your resources and skills in steadying yourself such as mindfulness skills, and ways to soothe your nervous system. We can also work on understanding what may be happening for you and what you need to move forward.

Clients often feel concerned about ending therapy. However, feeling that you have gone as far as your wish, have reached your goals or are feeling better are examples of the many valid reasons why you might wish to stop therapy.

I recommend giving a few weeks’ notice if at all possible so that there is time to work well towards the ending. So often in life, there is no chance to process endings ahead of time but in therapy there is.