Single-Session Therapy (SST)

Windy Dryden is in clinical and consultative practice and is an international authority on Single-Session Therapy. He is Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapeutic Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has worked in psychotherapy for more than 45 years and is the author or editor of over 265 books.

• Part 1: THE NATURE AND FOUNDATIONS OF SST 1. What is SST? 2. The development of SST 3. What SST is not 4. Even a brief encounter can be therapeutic 5. The expandable nature of therapy length 6. The modal number of therapy sessions internationally is ‘one', and the majority of people who attend for one session are satisfied 7. It is difficult to predict, with accuracy, how many therapy sessions a client will attend 8. What is a ‘drop-out'? 9. Intermittent therapy through the life cycle 10. Sooner is better and less is more 11. Human beings can help themselves quickly under specific circumstances 12. The choice of SST is the client's, but sometimes this choice is limited 13. Time in SST 14. The SST mindset and its practical implications 15. Client empowerment 16. Service delivery 17. The diverse nature of SST 18. The goals of SST 19. SST challenges established beliefs about therapy and change 20. The length of SST 21. Different approaches to SST 22. Different types of help in SST Part 2: THE ASSUMPTIONS OF SST 23. Client-centred and client-driven 24. Reciprocity in openness and feedback 25. Future-oriented, but present and past sensitive 26. Readiness 27. Strengths-based 28. Use of external resources 29. Complex problems do not always require complex solutions 30. The journey begins with the first few steps Part 3: FACILITATIVE CONDITIONS FOR SST 31. Intentionality 32. Expect change 33. Clarity 34. Effective session structure 35. Effective goal-setting 36. The therapist's use of expertise rather than being the expert 37. Helpful attitudes for SST therapists 38. Characteristics of ‘good' SST therapists 39. SST: the do's 40. SST: the don'ts 41. A conducive environment for SST 42. The pluralistic nature of SST 43. Characteristics of ‘good' SST clients 44. The process of SST Part 4: CRITERIA FOR SST 45. The client criteria question 46. Therapist indications and contra-indications for SST 47. Service indications and contra-indications for SST Part 5: GETTING SST OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT 48. Respond effectively to the person's very first contact 49. Helping the client to prepare for the session Part 6: GETTING THE MOST FROM THE SESSION 50. Agree or review parameters 51. Be mindful of the working alliance in SST 52. Begin the session 53. Focus on a problem that can be solved, not one that can’t be solved 54. Create and maintain a working focus 55. Help clients deal with adversity, if possible 56. Negotiate a goal 57. Understand how clients unwittingly maintain their problems and use this understanding to help them solve these problems 58. What to change: I. Individual-focused change 59. What to change: II. Environment-focused change 60. Focus on and use pivot chords 61. Agree markers for change 62. Notice and encourage change 63. Focus on the second response not the first 64. Look for exceptions to the problem 65. Look for instances of the goal already happening 66. Encourage the client to do more of what works or might work and less of what doesn't work 67. Make an emotional impact 68. Utilise the client's internal strengths and external resources 69. Identify and utilise the client's role model 70. Utilise topophilia in SST 71. The use of stories and parables 72. Use humour 73. Use paradox 74. Use the ‘friend technique' 75. The use of chairwork in SST 76. Convert meaning into a useful and memorable phrase 77. Educate when clients appear to lack information or have faulty information 78. Agree on the solution 79. Encourage the client to practice the solution in the session, if possible 80. Have the client summarise the process 81. Take-aways 82. Action planning and implementation 83. End the session I. General points 84. End the session II. Accessing further help 85. After the session I. Reflection, the recording and the transcript 86. After the session II. Client feedback 87. Follow-up: Outcome and service evaluation 88. Example of an SST structure Part 7: WALK-IN THERAPY 89. Two pathways to help 90. The nature of walk-in therapy 91. The case for walk-in therapy 92. Foster an alliance with the service rather than with a specific therapist 93. How walk-in services are advertised 94. A guideline for walk-in session structure influenced by brief narrative therapy Part 8: OTHER FORMS OF SST 95. Therapy demonstrations 96. Filmed training tapes 97. Second opinions Part 9: SST COMMON ERRORS, COMMON CONCERNS AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) 98. Common errors made in SST 99. Common concerns therapists have about SST 100. Frequently asked questions about SST and walk-in therapy