Single-Session Therapy

Windy Dryden, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapeutic Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is an international authority on Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy and is in part-time clinical and consultative practice. He has worked in psychotherapy for more than 45 years and is the author and editor of over 250 books.

• Introduction; Part 1: The Nature of Single-Session Therapy; Question 1: What is Single-Session Therapy?; Question 2: Why is it Called Single-Session Therapy if Further Sessions are Available?; Question 3: What are the Differences, If Any, Between Single-Session Therapy (SST) and One-At-A-Time (OAAT) Therapy?; Question 4: Is Single-Session Therapy Psychotherapy? Is it Counselling?; Question 5: Is Single-Session Therapy an Approach to Therapy?; Question 6: What is Meant by Single-Session Thinking?; Part 2: The Foundations of Single-Session Therapy Practice; Question 7: How Can a Therapy Agency Integrate Single-Session Therapy into its Overall Service Delivery?; Question 8: Can a Therapist Form an Effective Therapeutic Relationship with a Client in Single-Session Therapy?; Question 9: How Can a Therapist Develop a Relationship of Depth with Their SST Clients?; Question 10: How is a Client's Suitability for SST Assessed?; Question 11: Is it Possible to Practise SST when a Therapist is Required to Carry Out an Assessment?; Question 12: Why Would a Client Seek Single-Session Therapy?; Question 13: Is SST Suitable for a Client Who Wants to Explore a Problem Rather than Solve a Problem?; Question 14: Which Client Problems are Suitable and Which are Unsuitable for SST?; Question 15: Can SST be Used with Clients Who Have Severe, Complex or Chronic Problems or Is It Only Suitable for Simple Problems?; Question 16: What Does a Therapist Need to Know About a Client Beforehand to Practise SST?; Part 3: The Practice of SST; Question 17: Is Single-Session Therapy for All Clients?; Question 18: Can a Therapist Work Productively in SST with a Client Who Cannot Easily Pinpoint a Specific Problem They Wish to Tackle?; Question 19: Can Clients Get What They Need From SST?; Question 20: Which Client Factors Contribute to a Good Outcome or a Poor Outcome in SST?; Question 21: What Does a Client Need to Know about SST Beforehand to Get the Most from the Session?; Question 22: Can a Client Be Helped to Prepare for the Session in SST?; Question 23: What is the Best Way to Start a Session in SST?; Question 24: Are Sessions in SST Longer than Sessions in Ongoing Therapy?; Question 25: How Does a Therapist Manage Risk in SST?; Question 26: Which Therapist Factors Contribute to A Good Client Outcome from SST and Which Therapist Factors Contribute to a Poor Client Outcome?; Question 27: What Tips Can You Give to Help Therapists Become Focused and Stay Focused in the Session?; Question 28: What Do Therapists Most Struggle with When Practising SST?; Question 29: Can All Therapists Practise SST?; Question 30: Is SST Easier to Practise than Longer-Term Therapy?; Question 31: Is There a Protocol to be Followed While Practising SST?; Question 32: Suppose the Modal Number of Sessions is One and 70%-80% of These Clients Find that Session Sufficient Given Their Current Circumstances. Given that in Most Therapies, the First Session is Taken Up with History-Taking and Assessment Rather than Therapy, Does This Mean that These Clients Who Attend Once are Helped by a Single Session of History-Taking and Assessment?; Question 33: How Can a Therapist Best Bring a Single Session to an End?; Question 34: How Does a Therapist Know When to Offer a Client Further Help at the End of a Single Session?; Question 35: In Which Formats and With Which Client Groups Can SST Be Used?; Question 36: Can Clients Be Harmed in SST?; Part 4: Critical Questions about SST; Question 37: Treatment Protocols are Based on the Idea that Therapy for Specific Conditions Should Have a Set Number of Sessions (e.g. 12 or 16 Sessions). Doesn't This Conflict with SST?; Question 38: Doesn't SST Involve a Therapist Cramming Several Sessions Into One?; Question 39: Isn't SST Crisis Intervention?; Question 40: Does SST Only Lead to Superficial Change, Given that Real Change Happens Slowly and Gradually?; Question 41: Doesn't SST Help Clients Deal with Their Presenting Problems Rather than with Their Real Underlying Problems?; Question 42: Isn't SST Just a Sticking-Plaster Solution or A Quick Fix?; Question 43: Does SST Restrict Clients' Access to Therapy?; Question 44: Isn't SST Used for Purely Pragmatic Reasons such as to Bring Down Waiting Lists and to Save Agencies Money? If So, What Are the Implications for Clients and Therapists?; Part 5: Miscellaneous Questions; Question 45: Is SST on the Curriculum of Therapy Training Courses?; Question 46: What Training is Necessary to Practise SST?; Question 47: What Challenges Have You Faced When Practising SST?; Question 48: Which Ideas Have You Personally Found Most Useful in SST?; Question 49: How Should SST Services Be Disseminated?; Question 50: Can Single-Session Thinking Be Applied to Areas of Work Other Than Therapy?