When to Use Short-Term Therapy

Many people resist signing up for therapy because they don’t want to commit to frequent, recurring sessions that seem to go on forever. While some people see great benefits from that kind of long-term therapy, others may not need that level of commitment to improve their mental health. Find out how and when to use short-term therapy, so you can live a healthier life, without feeling tied to your therapist.

What is Short-Term Therapy?

Short-term therapy is a type of psychotherapy (sometimes called “talk therapy” or counseling) that is, as the name suggests, short. It is often goal oriented or used in anticipation of or response to major life changes. Short-term therapy generally involves 10-20 sessions over three to six months’ time. At the end of those sessions you and your therapist can decide if your goals have been met and if you want to extend treatment or start a new set of sessions to address a different need or goal. Often, the patient and therapist part ways at the end of the first set of short-term treatments. You may also come back to your therapist sometime in the future when your needs change or you need some help regulating your mental health symptoms. 

Why You Might Use Short-Term Therapy

Short-term therapy tends to focus on a specific set of challenges causing you stress, anxiety, depression, grief, or fear. Unlike longer-duration psychotherapy, short-term therapy focuses on the most pressing issue you are facing in the given moment. This can make it easier to acknowledge and deal with those issues, without having to “unpack” deeper aspects of your personality or mental health. 

Often, short-term therapy is used during periods of transition, or when you are trying to make a specific change. This could include:

• Premarital therapy for engaged couples
• Couples therapy to address relationship issues
• Postpartum therapy for new parents
• After a breakup 
• During legal battles such as divorce
• When facing job loss, layoffs, or retirement
• After the loss of a loved one
• Following a traumatic event
• Breaking a substance dependency

Any of these circumstances can increase your stress, anxiety, depression, or other negative feelings, and put a strain on your everyday coping mechanisms. Working with a psychotherapist in a period of short-term therapy can supplement your inner reserves, and prevent a challenging situation from creating a bigger mental health issue. 

Common Goals for Short-Term Therapy

As said above, short-term therapy is usually goal oriented. Your short-term therapy should be tailored to your specific skills, needs, and situation. But you may have trouble putting your needs into words or describing what those goals might be. Here are some possibilities:

• Learning and practicing stress management techniques
• Improving communication skills
• Enhancing emotional regulation
• Developing emotional intelligence
• Finding conflict resolution strategies
• Addressing immediate problems (i.e. panic attacks, sleep disorders, or substance dependency)
• Improving self-worth or self-esteem
• Setting personal priorities and boundaries

The key to defining the goals for your short-term therapy is to describe them in ways that are:

• Specific (focused on the area of concern to be addressed)
• Measurable (use specific numbers when possible)
• Achievable (realistic attainable, and appropriately challenging)
• Relevant (directly connected to the challenge you are facing)
• Time-bound (with deadlines to re-evaluate your progress)

These SMART goals will give you timely relief and allow you to measure your own progress and growth. 

When Long-Term Therapy is a Better Option

While short term therapy can be very helpful, it is not right for every mental health situation. It is focused on improving your life right now, and to help you develop specific skills. If you are struggling with ongoing mental health diagnoses, like depression or anxiety, or struggle to make the kind of changes that are the focus of short-term therapy, a longer course of psychotherapy might be better for you. 

Long-term therapy gives you the space to ask deeper questions and unpack your personal history and past influences underlying your current behaviors and thought processes. It can also be used to alter or retrain stubborn habits and to manage serious or recurring mental health symptoms. Sometimes, long-term therapy can be used to check in on the changes made during your short-term therapy, to make sure you don’t fall back to your old ways. 

David Stanislaw is a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience. He helps adults, teens, and children, meet mental health goals through short-term therapy or ongoing counseling. Contact David Stanislaw to get help today.