How Long Does Counseling & Therapy Take?
You’re in distress. And you want to know exactly how long it will take until everything gets better.
Well, that depends!
It will take as long as you need and never any longer. It is really impossible to predict length of care as it can very so widely and will depend on complex individual variables. It’s probably not the answer you wanted. But it’s the reality. There is no set time. This is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.
But there is a positive in terms of seeking counseling for whatever ails you: You’re always in charge of this. You can end care after one session if you’d like (you’re never stuck with me) and you can also keep working with me for as long as is needed (I am not here to rush you along).
It really is not uncommon for people to have unrealistic expectations of treatment. Some of this is due to poor portrayals in media, and some from other medical professionals who simply don’t fully understand the process of mental health care and all that is involved.
Change takes as long as it takes.
Mental health tends to be far more nuanced than physical medicine. After all, there is no lab work to be done to assess your emotions, nor any surgical procedure performed which will remove your emotion-based symptoms. While we can estimate how long it will take for a broken leg to heal, it is near impossible to guess at how long it might take for a broken heart to mend.
Often, the more committed you are to making changes, the faster things move. In other words, it might be better to consider how you’re showing up, both in session and throughout the week, rather than focusing on the number of weeks or months.
Please understand that this is a process and we are seeking individualized long-term change. The length of care is dependent on a number of factors including the length of time you have been experiencing a problem, the number of concerns you’re facing, etc. I do simply ask that you give this a chance to work and make a commitment to being fully engaged in the process. Notably, you must be willing to not only show up to our sessions, but you also need to commit to being proactive throughout your week (this could look like doing some reading, or watching a video, or completing a journaling assignment, or keeping a food log). Finally, be mindful that positive growth doesn’t happen overnight (if only that were true!).
It really is not uncommon for people to have unrealistic expectations of treatment. Some of this is due to poor portrayals in media, and some from other medical professionals who simply don’t fully understand the process of mental health care and all that is involved.
And I find it can sometimes work against us if we set a specific timeline. For example, if we’re told we should be better in three months, only to find we aren’t (because our difficulties may be more complicated than we initially thought, or before we increased awareness and understood the depth of our experience), this can be an additional limiting stressor that potentially can set us back.
A timeline can become a psychological barrier. We can become more stressed trying to achieve this external goal and then stressed even more if we ultimately fail to fit in that box.