Individual counselling is a journey of understanding and personal growth, but eventually that journey comes to an end. The question is: at what point does it end? How do you know? There are a few ways to tell. Let’s explore.
Individual counselling, also called psychotherapy, is therapy for individuals who want to address their thoughts and patterns of behaviour with the desire to increase their understanding of themselves and/or overcome obstacles to growth. Sessions take place one-on-one with a supportive therapist in a safe and confidential environment.
Generally clients have goals in mind for their therapy. They may be to understand underlying issues that are hidden or complex. Some goals may be to change undesirable behaviours. Others may be to increase feelings of well-being, or improve communication and interpersonal skills. Or all of the above.
Having met your goals, or obtained what you set out to achieve when you started therapy is a good indication it’s time to end your sessions. You can end therapy if you’re happy with your progress and feel ready to apply new skills or insight learned along the way. Or if you’ve come to understand certain behaviours or patterns and are seeing success in dealing with them outside of therapy sessions.
There’s no set time for how long therapy for individuals should last. It may only take one session, or it may take months, or years. Some issues take longer to sort out and some people may want to work on several things. When to end therapy comes down to whether you’ve gotten what you wanted from it.
Contact Alison Bell, Surrey BC Family Counsellor, to explore the initial first step in reaching your individual counselling goals.
