Many people start sessions and are interested in finding out when psychotherapy is completed. Before we can answer this question, we need to understand why it started.
people decide to start psychotherapy sessions either to deal with certain specific mental-physical symptoms or because they have reached a dead end in dealing with a problem or because they are interested in improving their quality of life and generally developing themselves.
Depending on the purpose of psychotherapy, it also depends on when it will be completed.
When is psychotherapy completed in each case?
People who turn to a psychologist to deal with and eliminate specific symptoms, whether physical or mental, have a very specific goal. This means that the duration of psychotherapy depends solely on when they will achieve this goal. Simply put, in these cases, psychotherapy is completed as soon as the symptoms disappear.
The same, of course, applies to those who start sessions in order to deal with a problem that has brought them to a dead end and seek specialized advice – guidance.
However, a large percentage of those who start online psychotherapy sessions have as their main goal to better understand their feelings, to improve various aspects of their daily lives and generally to acquire the supplies to be able to better deal with the problems that arise.
Due to the fact that in these cases the goal is not specific, the duration of psychotherapy can not be determined from the beginning. When psychotherapy is completed depends on when the patient will feel that he has reached the desired point. After all, psychotherapy sessions are an auxiliary process that always has a beginning and an end.
Who decides when psychotherapy is completed?
The decision on when psychotherapy is completed can be made by both our online psychologists and, of course, the patient. In the first case, the decision of each therapist is based on his subjective judgment recognizing that the procedure has brought about the desired change in the patient.
On the part of the patient, the recognition of specific signs is the one that will lead him to the conclusion that the desired result has occurred. In particular, the patient may understand that the psychotherapy process is complete when:
- The symptoms that led him to psychotherapy have been eliminated.
- He feels that his goals have been achieved.
- He has managed to discuss openly all the issues that concern him.
- He has acquired skills and abilities that help him deal with problems on his own, both those that led him to the sessions and any other problem.
- He effectively controls his emotions.
However, it is not uncommon for patients to feel that the sessions are over, although they have not been able to discuss and describe all their feelings to the therapist. In these cases, a different approach to treatment may be needed.
So it would be good to always talk openly with your therapist and express your thoughts to him. If you think psychotherapy is over, see if he believes the same.