Getting The Most Out of Every session: 5 Benefits of One-At-A-Time Therapy
Can you solve all your problems in a single session of therapy? If we believe that a single event can cause distress in our life, then why can’t a single positive event or encounter create positive change? One-At-A-Time Therapy, also know as Single-Session Therapy, argues that change can happen in a single therapy session. So, what exactly is One-At-A-Time Therapy (OAAT)?
One-At-A-Time Therapy
The goal of OAAT is to focus on your greatest worry, challenge or difficulty, and what you want to achieve from the meeting. Our aim is for you to leave the session with some ideas or strategies to try out. I was once told that OAAT is like having a “full course meal” when you go to a restaurant. Traditionally, therapist believe that people need an “X” amount of sessions to see any change, or to start “getting to the meat of things”. Can you image! Going to your favorite restaurant and being told by your waiter to come back next week for your entrée? Then, come back again next week for your desert? I don’t know about you, but I’d be frustrated! In contrast, each OAAT session has a beginning, middle, and end. Meaning, you’ll leave each meeting with your appetizer, entrée, and desert - No short-changing you here!
The mindset of a OAAT practitioner may include; the client will know what works best for them, we (as clinicians) need to know less about the history of the problem than we think, expect change, and there is no direct correlation between the duration of the complaint or the severity of symptoms and the duration of the treatment (Bobele & Slive, 2014; Slive & Bobele, 2011).
Interestingly, research has shown that clients may only need one appointment, or choose not to return after the first session (Slive et al., 2008). For these reasons, it is helpful to treat each counseling session as if it were the last. From my experience, OAAT has many benefits, but here are 5 reasons why OAAT is beneficial for both the client and therapist:
The OAAT approach is client-focused, as the client chooses the frequency and duration of their sessions and treatment, which encourages self-management and empowerment of their own mental health concerns (Ewen et al., 2018)
OAAT has been shown to be cost effective for both the client and the service provider compared with emergency department care (Bicki et al., 2013).
There is evidence that shows that the OAAT framework can make mental health services more accessible to communities. Bobele et al. (2008) suggested that low-income clients were less likely to stay in long-term therapy as they tended to lack the financial resources and time for repeated visits.
Repeated visits also add to the stigma that the more visits someone has, the more severe their problem is. The OAAT model provides a viable alternative to scheduled services as it involves lower commitment and lower client costs (Bloom & Tam, 2015).
Traditionally, therapists are often trained to focus on the problem that the client faces. In OAAT counseling, the practitioner focuses on the resources of the client. During a session, a OAAT practitioner might think, “what strengths does my client possess?”, “What is a realistic outcome for this counseling session?”, “What would be one small thing my client can do today to get them moving in the right direction?” rather than “what is the severity of their problem”, or “what's the history of their problem?”
I think it’s important to note that a common misconception or assumption is that OAAT practitioners only see clients for one session, or try to push clients out the door. This is not the case! The single-session is not the only opportunity for clients to address the issues that they are facing: more sessions can be scheduled if needed.
