A little while ago, we asked our 3,000,000+ person social media community:
ï»żWhat questions do you have about therapy?
ï»żLots of people responded, and the most common four questions were:
- What is the purpose of therapy?
- What are some red flags to look for in a therapist?
- Why hasn't therapy worked for me in the past?
- How long is "too long" to be in therapy?
So, professional counsellor and Depression Project co-founder Mathew Baker got together with renowned Australian television presenter Hayden Turner to film answers to each of these questions. You'll find the fourth video below - How long is "too long" to be in therapy? - and we've also included some "key takeaways / considerations" from the video below that.
How Long Is "Too Long" To Be In Therapy?
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Key Takeaways / Considerations When It Comes To Answering The QuestionÂ ï»żHow Long Is "Too Long" To Be In Therapy?
- It can take time for therapy to be effective - so for this reason, unless one or more "red flags" are present, if you've only seen your therapist for two or three sessions for example, you generally haven't been in therapy for "too long", yet.
- To answer the question "how long is 'too long' to be in therapy?", some helpful considerations can be, for example: Am I still getting value out of therapy? Are these therapy sessions helping me get better from depression / anxiety / helping me to resolve the problems that I originally came to therapy to try to resolve? Am I learning new skills to help me get better? Are these therapy sessions helping me understand the issues I'm facing better and better? Are these therapy sessions helping me make meaningful progress towards my goals? If you feel like you're getting "value" out of your therapy sessions and "making meaningful progress", then it's a strong indication that it's worth continuing with therapy. However, if you've been attending therapy for a while yet don't feel as if you're getting "value" from the sessions, "making meaningful progress" or "getting better in some way", then it's an indication that you may have been with that particular therapist for "too long", and that it may be worthwhile transitioning to a different one.