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Length of Therapy & Treatment Plans

Length of Therapy

The length of therapy varies from individual to individual (couples, families) recognizing that short term therapy (6 – 12 sessions) may begin the healing process that is generalized into daily living. A treatment plan outlining the expected length of therapy starts with the first therapy session. (Helen does her best to “work herself out of a job” by making sure therapy lasts only as long as it is recognized as necessary. Sessions can be 55 minutes, extended therapy sessions of two+ hours or more, with an identified length of treatment with group and workshop sessions already discussed. Recommended weekly, sometimes biweekly at the beginning of therapy, generally occurs once weekly, and can be short term (6 – 12) or six months – a year or more, depending on need. Individual and couples therapy begins the process of identifying these critical factors, again by the evolution of the treatment plan for therapy started in the very first session.

Treatment Plans

The treatment plan that unfolds, beginning with the first therapy session assists in identifying diagnostic criteria in the DSM-V (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, hand in hand with the ICD-10 (the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition.). Each major mental health issue has a correspondent diagnosis in either the DSM-5 or ICD-10. What is termed “adjustment disorder,” in both diagnostic criteria, has to do with affective disorders that do not yet meet the criteria for a diagnosis of depression or of generalized anxiety. Both the DSM-5 and ICD-10 cover most identified disorders. Helen utilizes both diagnostic tests AND utilizes a holistic approach that assists in this endeavor: again, alternative therapies often add a better quality of life and alleviate the more acute symptoms of the disease.