For crisis intervention or focused brief therapy, you and your therapist may discuss the treatment approach, the frequency of sessions, the length of sessions, the fee, the cancellation and contact policies. You should not expect the therapist to quote you a specific number of sessions that would be needed to relieve the concerns that brought you in.
Every client is different. Some people are capable of acting immediately on a course of action. Others require lots of reinforcement and encouragement to make changes. Often therapists may contract with you for a set number of sessions at a time, with renewal when you’ve reached the last session. Or they may work with you to develop a list of goals and plan to discontinue your sessions when the goals are reached.
For ongoing therapy aimed at alleviating psychological symptoms and achieving long term change, you might contract with your therapist for 3 or 6 months or a year at a time. Many clients achieve significant relief and change in 3 to 6 months. Others benefit from a stable, consistent therapy to allow them to take their time uncovering the experiences, fears, physiological factors and family dynamics that fuel their depression or anxiety. It is not unusual for folks who have endured alot of trauma and loss to spend a couple of years doing weekly therapy. Actually, sometimes, the more subtle the emotional injustice, the longer it can take to identify it, make sense of it and replace it with positive understanding.
For example, growing up in a family where emotions weren’t mentioned and where the actions of at least one parent were the opposite of what they were telling you. That creates confusion around the meaning of words and behavior. It’s hard to figure out how to react if you can’t figure out what is meant.