17/02/2021

SINGLE-SESSION
THERAPY
WINDY DRYDEN

EVEN A BRIEF
ENCOUNTER CAN BE
THERAPEUTIC

THERAPY TAKES
EXACTLY THE LENGTH
OF TIME ALLOCATED
TO IT

1
 17/02/2021

HUMAN BEINGS CAN HELP

THEMSELVES QUICKLY
UNDER SPECIFIC
CIRCUMSTANCES

THE MODAL NUMBER OF

SESSIONS CLIENTS HAVE IS:

THE MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE WHO ATTEND
FOR ONE SESSION ARE
SATISFIED

2
 17/02/2021

A ‘DROP-OUT’ IS A PERSON
WHO ATTENDS LESS SESSIONS
THAN THEIR THERAPIST THINKS
THEY SHOULD

IT IS DIFFICULT TO PREDICT
WITH ACCURACY WHO WILL
ATTEND FOR ONE SESSION
AND WHO WILL ATTEND FOR
MORE

Who is Single-Session Therapy For?

š Engage with the question, but how done?

š Walk-in

š Client choice, refer to other services if necessary

š The ‘embedded’ approach – the Bouverie Centre

3
 17/02/2021

THE BEST WAY OF KNOWING

IF A PERSON CAN BENEFIT
FROM SST IS TO HAVE A
SESSION WITH THEM AND SEE
IF THEY BENEFIT

10

POTENTIALLY ANYONE
CAN BE HELPED IN A
SINGLE SESSION

11

THIS IS IT

12

4
 17/02/2021

USE THE POWER OF

NOW

13

ALL YOU NEED IS HERE

14

VIEW THE SESSION AS

A WHOLE COMPLETE
IN ITSELF

15

5
 17/02/2021

THE POWER IS IN THE

CLIENT

16

LESS IS MORE

17

MORE IS LESS

18

6
 17/02/2021

SOONER IS BETTER

19

SOME HELP NOW IS BETTER

THAN THE BEST HELP
LATER, UNLESS THE CLIENT
CHOOSES OTHERWISE

20

MORE HELP IS
AVAILABLE LATER IF
THE CLIENT NEEDS IT

21

7
 17/02/2021

THERAPY CAN BE
STARTED IMMEDIATELY

22

THE CHOICE OF SST IS

THE CLIENT’S:
INFORMED CONSENT

23

SST IS A BLEND OF THE

STRENGTHS AND RESOURCES
BOTH PARTICIPANTS BRING
TO THE SESSION

24

8
 17/02/2021

INVITE THE CLIENT TO

PREPARE FOR THE
SESSION IF POSSIBLE

25

CHANGE MAY HAVE

BEGUN BEFORE THE
SESSION STARTS

26

SST IS CLIENT-
FOCUSED AND
CLIENT-DRIVEN

27

9
 17/02/2021

EXPLAIN WHAT YOU

CAN DO AND WHAT
YOU CAN’T DO

28

A JOURNEY BEGINS
WITH THE FIRST FEW
STEPS

29

A SMALL CHANGE
MAY BE SUFFICIENT

30

10
 17/02/2021

ASK THE CLIENT TO TELL YOU

WHAT THEY THINK IT IS ESSENTIAL
FOR YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THEM
IN ORDER FOR YOU TO BE ABLE
TO HELP THEM

31

ASK THE CLIENT TO

SPECIFY WHAT THEY
WOULD LIKE HELP WITH

32

ASK THE CLIENT HOW

THEY WOULD LIKE YOU
TO HELP THEM

33

11
 17/02/2021

AN EFFECTIVE
WORKING ALLIANCE
CAN BE FORMED
QUICKLY

34

AIM FOR RELATIONAL

PROMPTNESS RATHER
THAN RELATIONAL
DEPTH

35

DON’T TRY TO BE
BRILLIANT

36

12
 17/02/2021

DON’T RUSH

37

GIVE THE CLIENT TIME

TO THINK AND
PROCESS

38

DON’T CRAM TOO

MUCH INTO THE
SESSION

39

13
 17/02/2021

LOOK FOR WAYS OF

MAKING AN IMPACT

40

USE HUMOUR
JUDICIOUSLY

41

CREATE A FOCUS

42

14
 17/02/2021

MAINTAIN THE FOCUS

43

ASK THE CLIENT TO

REVIEW PERIODICALLY
WHERE YOU HAVE GOT TO

44

GIVE A RATIONALE FOR

INTERRUPTING THE CLIENT
AND ASK FOR
PERMISSION TO DO SO

45

15
 17/02/2021

ASSESS THE PROBLEM

NOT THE PERSON

46

IDENTIFY PROBLEM-
MAINTAINING
FACTORS

47

BE INFORMED BY THE
CLIENT’S PREVIOUS
ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE
THE PROBLEM

48

16
 17/02/2021

BE INFORMED BY CASE
FORMULUATION
PRINCIPLES, BUT DON’T
CARRY ONE OUT

49

DISCOVER AND WORK

TOWARDS A SESSION
GOAL

50

SOMETIMES THE
CLIENT’S GOAL IS THE
PROBLEM

51

17
 17/02/2021

IDENTIFY AND
ENCOURAGE THE USE
OF CLIENT STRENTGHS

52

ASK FOR AND USE THE

CLIENT’S ROLE
MODELS

53

EFFECTIVE SST IS
UNDERPINNED BY
CLIENT VALUES

54

18
 17/02/2021

HELP THE CLIENT TO

IDENTIFY AND USE
HELPFUL RESOURCES IN
THEIR ENVIRONMENT

55

EXPLAIN WHAT YOU ARE

DOING AND WHY YOU
ARE DOING IT, BUT NOT
COMPULSIVELY

56

EMPHASISE CLIENT
CHOICE AND
CONSEQUENCES

57

19
 17/02/2021

USE THE CLIENT’S

WORDS, NOT
SYNONYMS

58

DRAW THE CLIENT’S

ATTENTION TO
IMPORTANT POINTS

59

ASK THE CLIENT TO

REPEAT IMPORTANT
THINGS THAT THEY
HAVE JUST SAID

60

20
 17/02/2021

LOOK FOR INSTANCES WHERE

THE CLIENT HAS SOLVED
SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND
ENCOURAGE THE TRANSFER
OF SKILLS

61

ENCOURAGE THE CLIENT TO

ADVISE A FRIEND FACING THE
SAME PROBLEM AND WORK WITH
OBSTACLES TO APPLYING THE
SOLUTION TO THEMSELF

62

HELP THE CLIENT TO CHOOSE

A SOLUTION THAT THEY THINK
IS MOST USEFUL AND THAT
THEY CAN INTEGRATE INTO
THEIR LIFE

63

21
 17/02/2021

COMPLEX PROBLEMS
DO NOT ALWAYS
REQUIRE COMPLEX
SOLUTIONS

64

ENCOUTAGE
EXPERIENTIAL
REHEARSAL OF THE
CHOSEN SOLUTION

65

HELP THE CLIENT TO

DEVELOP AN ACTION
PLAN

66

22
 17/02/2021

IDENTIFY AND DEAL WITH

THE CLIENT’S DOUBTS,
RESERVATIONS AND
OBJECTIONS

67

ENCOURAGE THE CLIENT

TO TAKE AWAY ONE
MEANINGFUL POINT
FROM THE SESSION

68

HAVE THE CLIENT SUMMARISE

AT THE END OF THE SESSION
AND ADD TO THE SUMMARY
IF NECESSARY

69

23
 17/02/2021

ANOTHER SESSION?
INVITE THE CLIENT TO
‘REFELECT-DIGEST-
ACT-WAIT-DECIDE’

70

END WELL

71

FOLLOW-UP AND
EVALUATE

72

24
 17/02/2021

What Doubts, Reservations and Objections

Do Therapists Have Concerning SST?

š SST is not therapy

š Real change happens slowly and gradually

š Effective therapy is built upon the therapeutic relationship which takes tim e to develop
š Relational depth cannot be achieved in SST
š SST is a quick fix

š SST is a sticking plaster solution

š SST m eans that people will not get what they need therapeutically
š People in charge of funding push SST because it saves m oney

73

What Doubts, Reservations and Objections Do

Therapists Have Concerning SST? (ctd)

š SST m eans one session and one session only

š SST is 5, 10 or m ore sessions “distilled” into one
š SST is only appropriate for sim ple problem s

š SST is not for vulnerable clients

š SST m eans a restriction on therapy sessions
š SST practitioners think that SST is the answer to everything
š SST is the sam e as crisis intervention
š SST is sim pler than longer-term therapy because It is brief and focused

74

25