What Length of Time Is Needed for Therapy to Work?

Therapy helps you learn how to deal with difficult emotions, relationships, and experiences. It’s an asset that can benefit you in all areas of your life.

It takes a lot of courage to finally make the choice to reach out for support and you are completely normal for wondering what that looks like, if you’ve never done it before. Among the most frequently asked questions by people, is how long therapy is effective?

Results can vary in timing; there is no specific time frame for starting to see results from therapy. Therapy can be short or long depending on the type of therapy, the issues dealt with, the individual and how committed the person is to the process. The length of the therapy process varies anywhere from a one-time session to several years depending on your individual goals and progress.

Continue reading for details on this process and when you may begin to feel better from your mental health condition.

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How Many Therapy Sessions Does It Take to See Progress?

Therapy is not a cookie cutter deal. Things that work for one individual may not work for another, and there will always be some variability when we look at outcome. But, some studies can give you an idea of what to expect as you make the journey.

The American Psychological Association (APA) contends that over “50 percent of clients in therapy can be expected to make significant recoveries in the average of 15 – 20 sessions”.

Factors of the Timeline of Effectiveness

There are many things that will influence how long therapy will take to be effective. Knowing the difference between the two will help you get the most effective and efficient results from the work you’ll be doing with your therapist.

Type of therapy

Therapy is not one size fits all and it is important to find the kind of therapy that is right for you, a particular person or experience or condition.

This also serves as a reminder that what is helpful for one individual may not be as helpful for another, and one-size-fits-all models of mental health care are not appropriate.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, is a widely used and empirically supported form of talk therapy that focuses on helping individuals recognize and alter unhealthy or unwarranted thinking and behavioral patterns, which can make it effective treatment for symptoms of depression or anxiety for some individuals.

A form of CBT that holds special promise for those in extreme or severe affect, trauma, or borderline personality disorder, or PTSD is Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT.

Though most individuals will begin to notice changes in their life after approximately 12 weeks of CBT or talk therapy, one should keep in mind that therapy is not a cookie-cutter process.

For instance, DBT could require months before any substantial progress is made and also tends to include a group therapy element as part of the intervention. People should talk to their therapist about what to expect and what they need in terms of therapy treatment plans.

Individual factors

Your past and your experiences can influence the time it takes to work through particular behaviors, thoughts, or symptoms. It’s easy to get totally entrenched in unhealthy habits and patterns if you’ve been at it for years (or decades). Also, the kind of problems and experiences you are dealing with will be part of what will make your therapy take longer or shorter to work.

Severity and duration of mental health issues

Therapy cannot be expected to result in positive outcomes at the same point in time, as the severity and duration of mental health problems have a major impact on treatment timelines. In cases of more severe mental health conditions or co-occurring multiple disorders, improvement may take longer given the need for more complex and sophisticated treatment.

In a similar vein, there may be cases where mental health issues have remained unaddressed for a long time and would therefore take longer to show improvement. It is important to realize that all these variables determine the route for improvement and can be very different from one case to another, thus requiring time and persistence for treatment.

Commitment and motivation

Therapy is an investment. You have to be willing to do the work, to work the process. Therapy outcomes are usually more successful for those who devote the time to learn and implement the tools and strategies. The good news is, if you really want to grow and heal, a person can change relatively quickly.

Therapist-client dynamics

The therapeutic relationship is important for the process of healing. Exposing and discussing your fears, worries, and experiences is an act of vulnerability. The relationship between therapist and client must be very solid, dynamic, and trusting as one begins to look at areas for growth within the self. The knowledge of how to obtain the “right” therapist is integral to achieving benefits in the shortest amount of time possible.

A good therapeutic experience is largely dependent on feeling comfortable with one’s therapist. Because you feel safe enough to share your issues, struggles, concerns, fears, hopes and dreams with your therapist, you will explore the depths of what is bothering you and be receptive to new perspectives, feedback, and tools to work on and achieve your aspirations.

External factors

Sometimes an unavoidable curve ball comes at you from nowhere. Other outside influences like unemployment, bereavement, ruptured relationships, or unforeseen medical concerns can all have their impact on your overall mental wellbeing and therapeutic progress.

Even if everything feels like it is standing in the way of having the best possible therapeutic experience, consistently available support and resources can keep you and your process on course.

But don’t wait for the revolution. Building that strong support network from the start will mitigate any adverse effects of any unforeseen challenges you encounter. These systems of support may involve family and friends, local resources, support groups or chat rooms that give emotional support and practical assistance in difficult times.

Setting therapy goals

Setting goals is an important part of maximizing on therapy. A therapist can assist you to determine realistic goals for treatment. No matter what it is, having a clear and achievable goal is an important element in the therapeutic process.

Examples of therapy goals could include: · Increasing your ability to stand up for yourself · Engaging in self-care · Boundary setting - Better Communication · The process of stepping out of a toxic relationship

Setting Realistic Expectations

Therapy works. According to the APA, “three-fourths of individuals who enter therapy experience favorable outcomes and reduced symptomatology – but, of course, it isn’t magic”. Making the decision to begin therapy is a huge first step and having reasonable expectations of the process can help to minimize frustration when change does not occur overnight. Do not set unrealistic expectations for your first visit, such as believing that “after one therapy session I will emerge healed”.

Maximizing Therapy Effectiveness

The only way to benefit from therapy is to want to show up and engage in it. You also need to realize that your work will not only happen in the minutes or days that you are in a therapy session. The resources you will get out of your therapy are directly proportional to the effort and good faith that you are willing to bring with you into the therapeutic process.

It is not unusual to receive “homework” from your therapist. These efforts outside of session are worth your time expenditure. They assist in solidifying the strategies you work on into your daily thought and behavioral patterns. As the saying goes, “practice makes progress,” and this is also true in therapy.

Even your lifestyle choices must be consistent with your efforts to be a healthy mind and body. Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule, eating well, and exercising are all things that support your work in therapy.

There is no one right path in therapy, but if you want to get the most out of therapy in the shortest time possible, one thing that can help do that, is to be as open and honest as you can be from the very beginning, so you and your therapist can start focusing on the things that are important to you. The therapists always say – we cannot help you if you do not tell us – so speaking up turns out everything, especially when it is hard or uncomfortable to do so.

How to Know if Therapy is Working

It is natural to want to see whether your efforts are paying off. Examples of signs of heading toward the positive in therapy are:

• A change in perspective: things that used to overwhelm you become challenges you have confidence in facing.

• Implementing coping strategies and tools: It’s a good indication of progress if you find yourself spontaneously turning to your journal to write about what is stressing you, or doing some deep breathing and counting to 10 before reacting to something upsetting.

• Healthier interactions: The dialogue or contact engages or feels more like a beneficial discussion rather than a harmful experience.

• Emotional regulation and control: You have fewer “knee-jerk” reactions and are able to stop, reflect, and then respond more effectively to stressful situations.

• Acknowledging the New Habits/ Patterns: You acknowledge the fact that you are beginning to make better, more active, more healthy choices instead of embarking on your old unhealthy habitual path.

Start Therapy with Healthy Families of Albuquerque

If you are finally ready to change your life and have wanted to begin therapy, Healthy Families of Albuquerque is a counseling practice that makes it easy to do so.

Healthy Families of Albuquerque has the ideal therapist for you based on your needs, goals, and personal preferences. Before you know it you are on your way to feeling better, without the headaches associated with the ‘traditional’ therapy experience - no travel time, waiting rooms, and lower time to access care.

If you are asking how effective it is or how long therapy takes on average for members of Healthy Families of Albuquerque, studies indicate that online tele-therapy can be as effective as or more so than therapy in person, and takes the same amount of time.

The earlier you begin, the sooner it can begin to work, so contact Healthy Families of Albuquerque today to begin.