How Long Will It Take?
Depending on your specific needs, therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue. Or it can be longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns or your desire for more personal development.
Most people start therapy once a week. Weekly sessions help you build momentum, learn new skills, and make changes faster—especially if you’re dealing with high stress, anxiety, depression, trauma symptoms, or relationship distress.
As things improve, many clients shift to every other week (biweekly) to practice what they’re learning and maintain progress. Some people eventually move to monthly “maintenance” sessions for support, accountability, and prevention—kind of like a tune-up.
A good rule of thumb:
Weekly therapy: when you’re just starting therapy, feeling overwhelmed, or working through something intense.
Biweekly therapy: when symptoms are steadier, and you’re practicing changes between sessions when you’re maintaining progress and want ongoing support
It depends on what you’re working on, but most people start noticing meaningful change within 6–12 sessions—especially when sessions are consistent and you practice skills between appointments. Some concerns are more short-term, while others benefit from longer support.
Here’s a helpful guideline:
4–8 sessions: a specific goal (stress management, decision-making, coping skills, communication tools)
8–20 sessions: anxiety or depression, relationship patterns, life transitions, grief, confidence and boundaries work
20+ sessions: trauma recovery, complex or long-standing patterns, attachment wounds, or deeper healing work
Couples therapy: many couples begin with weekly sessions, then shift to biweekly as communication improves. More complex issues like affair recovery, high conflict dynamics or significant trust injuries often take longer
It is important to understand that you will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process. The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life. My goal is to empower clients, help them find their self-agency and confidence, and ultimately work myself out of a job.
Therefore, beyond the work you do in therapy sessions, I may suggest some things you can do outside of therapy to support your process - such as reading a pertinent book, journaling on specific topics, noting particular behaviors or taking action on your goals.