How Often Do I Need to See A Therapist?
Published May 16th, 2024
4 min read
How often you go to therapy will depend on your financial situation, your mental health goals, and the type of therapy you need.
Written by Simon Spichak
Whenever people go to their first therapy session, they ask many questions about the process. One of the most common questions is how often they’ll need to attend therapy. Everyone is eager to know when they can expect to see improvements in their mental health, plus going to therapy often can be expensive. There’s no single answer — how often you’ll go to therapy depends on many factors.
How frequently do people go to therapy?
Most often, people will go to therapy once weekly, every two weeks, or monthly. Here are some common factors that determine how frequently you’ll see a therapist:
Financial reasons. Depending on the type of therapy that a person is receiving, the cost can be steep—psychologists can charge more than $200 per hour.
Mental health goals. At the start of your first therapy session, you and the therapist will set realistic goals based on your values for improving your mental health. Depending on your symptoms and your goals, you may decide to have therapy sessions more often.
Type of therapy. Different therapy modalities, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, and exposure and response prevention therapy, may also affect how frequently you go to therapy.
How many total therapy sessions does it take to feel better?
According to the American Psychological Association, half of the patients who go to therapy start to feel better after about 15 to 20 hour-long therapy sessions.
In addition, some forms of therapy for conditions like ADHD or OCD require 12 to 16 therapy sessions to complete. In some cases, you might start to feel better sooner, after eight or fewer therapy sessions, and in other cases, it could take six months or longer.
Most people will continue to see a therapist even after feeling better. In some cases, they might attend therapy less frequently, going from twice a month to once a month to on-demand sessions to address urgent issues.
Once you and your therapist agree that you’ve met the goals set up at the beginning of your first therapy session, you’ll “graduate” from therapy and will no longer need to schedule any sessions. However, you’ll always have that therapist to return to if anything goes wrong.
Therapy isn’t a quick or easy fix, and that’s okay
There’s nothing magical about going to therapy. It is a slow process that requires you to work with a therapist over several months. How often you see a therapist will depend on your finances, mental health goals, and the type of therapy you’re receiving. Unfortunately, it is very hard to predict how many therapy sessions you’ll need before you start feeling better.
If you’re interested in learning more about whether therapy is right for you, please reach out to one of our practitioners for a free 15-minute consultation.
Please note that this post is written for educational purposes; it is not therapy. If you need to talk to a professional, please book a consultation with a psychotherapist through Resolvve.
