When Does Therapy Become Effective?

When people start psychotherapy for the first time, it is common and normal to wonder how long it will take until your treatment becomes helpful and when you will start to see improvements. Based on research on the duration and effectiveness of psychotherapy, researchers found people began noticing changes around six months into treatment. For people who stayed in treatment for longer than this, they noticed significantly more changes, and for people who stayed in treatment for approximately 1 year to 2 years, they made exponentially more improvements. Through psychotherapy, people commit to working on themselves, and although that process takes time, it is a meaningful and worthwhile process to engage in.

It is important to remember that although these are the estimated averages of how long it typically takes for treatment to become effective, all people are different in their reasons for and need of support! Therefore, treatment may look different to all who engage in services and the timeframe for effectiveness can vary based on these factors. Some people may benefit from shorter treatments, whereas others may benefit from longer treatments. Additionally, based on the circumstances or presenting problem you are facing, then your treatment duration could look different. Most research supports attending sessions as regularly as you can. Although attending appointments weekly or biweekly shows similar levels of effectiveness, participating in sessions each week tends to lead to faster results and less time in treatment.

There are different ways to determine how helpful your psychotherapeutic treatment has been for you and when it might be time to end services. Research suggests that successful psychotherapy typically occurs when the individual has accomplished their psychotherapeutic goals. However, most people are typically encouraged to remain in treatment until they feel confident in themselves to handle and overcome challenges independently through the information, perspectives, and skills they learned in treatment.

The length of treatment is typically tentative and can be revisited throughout the course of treatment. It is strongly encouraged to stay in treatment for a sufficient amount of time before deciding whether treatment is not working for you. When considering whether treatment is working for you, it is recommended to discuss concerns and successes with your psychotherapist to assess your goals and determine your progress towards them. Before stopping services, it is common for people to decrease how often they are attending appointments; if you were attending weekly appointments, you may decide to start attending biweekly appointments.

At Restorative Psychological Services, we make efforts to work collaboratively with each individual and family to appropriately determine the nature and severity of presenting problems and determine treatment goals that will assist them in achieving their greatest potential. Our treatment focuses on allowing people and families to learn more about themselves, grow in the areas they want to grow in, and to participate in services until they feel prepared to handle situations on their own. Treatment is tailored to each individual, so you receive support based on your individual needs. If you feel like psychotherapy could be helpful for you, we strongly encourage you to reach out!

For more information, please visit these resources:

American Psychological Association. (2017). How long will it take for treatment to work? https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/length-treatment

Erekson, D. M., Bailey, R. J., Cattani, K., Klundt, J. S., Lynn, A. M., Jensen, D., Merrill, B. M., Schmuck, D., & Worthen, V. (2022). Psychotherapy session frequency: A naturalistic examination in a university counseling center. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(4), 531-540. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000593

Shelder, J., & Gnaulati, E. (2020). The tyranny of time: How long does effective therapy really take? Psychotherapy Network. https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/tyranny-time