Therapy can be a lifesaver for someone who is navigating mental health problems in the midst of every day life. Therapy sessions typically run for no more than an hour. As the field of mental health changes, so does our knowledge of successful treatment approaches.
Let us introduce the idea of extended treatment sessions, which is becoming more and more popular in the counseling community. This post will examine the dynamics of long treatment sessions, including when they are helpful, how to handle insurance issues and possible advantages and disadvantages.
Table Of Contents
When Should Therapy Sessions Go Beyond One Hour?
Will Insurance Cover Extended Therapy Sessions?
How Do I Ask For An Extended Therapy Session?
Are Longer Therapy Sessions Better?
Drawbacks Of Longer Therapy Sessions
The After Thought
When Should Therapy Sessions Go Beyond One Hour?
Therapy sessions are frequently limited to one hour in order to meet the needs of schedule conflicts and preserve an organized methodology. Nevertheless, there are times when a longer session is required due to the subtleties of an individual’s mental health journey. The standard one-hour approach may feel restrictive for people who are coping with deep-seated concerns, profound trauma, or a multitude of interconnected challenges.
Extended Therapy Sessions are especially helpful in the following situations:
Complex Trauma: It could take longer for the therapist and the client to fully explore the complexities and promote healing when dealing with deeply ingrained trauma.
Multifaceted Issues: A longer session allows for a more thorough exploration when clients are facing several interconnected difficulties; this promotes a holistic approach to problem-solving.
Crisis Situations: Extended therapy sessions can be comforting for persons going through a crisis since they offer instant support and assist in navigating the intensity of emotions.
Intensive Work: Certain therapeutic techniques, such as rigorous individual therapy or some forms of group therapy, inherently need longer time frames in order to produce significant outcomes. (Leichsenring et al., 2013, 2022)
Will Insurance Cover Extended Therapy Sessions?
An important consideration when thinking about long-term therapy sessions is insurance coverage. Insurance policies usually follow the one-hour session format, and it can be difficult to stray from this. But the field of mental health is changing, and some insurance companies are seeing the advantages of longer sessions in certain situations.