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Have you recently decided that it’s time to see a therapist? I applaud you for taking this step and having nothing but love for you because therapy is worth it.
However, with the cost of therapy can be expensive, ranging anywhere from $75-$150 and help from insurance varies depending on your country, it can be tough to understand how often you should go to therapy.
If I go to therapy once a week, will I be better faster?
Is going to therapy once a month good enough?
Is going to therapy once every three months worth my time?
I will do my best to help you feel more comfortable in your new therapy journey and give you a solid plan to follow until you can confirm it with your new therapist.
How Often Should You Go To Therapy?
Going to therapy once a week is the best way to start your mental health journey.
Unfortunately there is more to it than the simple answer above. Knowing how often you should go to therapy depends on how much financially you can afford to invest in your mental health and happiness. If money is no object, you should go to treatment one time a week for the entirety of your life.
If you are financially comfortable and spend money monthly on dinners out, a personal trainer and other monthly areas that make you feel better, you should go to therapy 3-4 times a month.
If you are financially living paycheck to paycheck, you will want to use all of your life insurance and work insurance benefits. There are two ways to portion out the small number of therapy sessions you have to use.
- Bunch them all together for a weekly therapy session until they are spent. This will help you, and your therapist focuses on specifics and gives you a solid plan to work on till you can afford to go again.
- Split your sessions in a monthly session plan. This will be good for checking in each month; however, it will not be enough to dive deep into any struggles you have and work on them, most likely.
How much are you willing to invest in your happiness?
The cost of therapy is expensive. Yes, I agree with you.
But I want you to think about how much you spent this month’s dinners out with friends, what do you pay for a weekend out on the town?
What do you pay for your simple pleasures in life?
Look at the total monthly expenses each month on things that exceed your’ need to live’ costs.
Is that number higher than you thought? Could the cost of therapy not be as bad as you once thought?
Can you put a number on finding happiness again?
How often is too often to see a Therapist?
You can’t see your therapist too often. There is no adverse reaction to seeing your therapist as often as possible. Your therapist will not only get to know you better, so they can have a deeper insight to help you, but you will get more comfortable talking with them and talking about things that once felt uncomfortable with you.
The more you go to your therapist, the better off you will be.
How Many Times A Month Should I Go To Therapy?
It would help if you went to therapy 2-4 times a month. By seeing your therapist 24 – 48 times a year, you will be giving yourself a great chance to help combat your crippling depression, situational anxiety, stress from work, or any other countless struggles we all get.
1. If I go to therapy 1 time a week, will I be better faster?
Yes, the more often you see a therapist or counsellor, the faster you will be able to address more issues in your life. The quicker you can face your struggles, the better chance you will have at mental growth and creating change.
Remember that there is no blueprint to healing. Please do not compare your therapy treatment to anyone else’s; we are all on our healing journey.
2. Is going to therapy 1x a month good enough?
I would not suggest going to therapy less than once a month if you can afford to go more often. Going 1x a month will mean that you will be seeking mental health help for 1hr, every 730hrs.
1 hour of help = 730hrs of facing your struggles alone
3. Is going to therapy 1x every three months worth my time?
If all you can afford is to see a therapist every three months, then yes, this will be extremely helpful to you. Anything is better than nothing, my friend.
However, If you can afford to go more times, I would suggest you take a step back, pause, and have a serious conversation with yourself on how important are your long-term happiness.
Explore our favorite online therapy apps
BetterHelp
Calmerry
Online-Therapy.com
What Do I Do If Therapy Is Too Expensive?
If you cannot go to therapy as often as you like because it is too expensive, there are three options for you to try.
Sliding Scale Therapy is a way therapists can vary their pricing depending on your income level.
Group Therapy allows therapy users to pay less during a session because more people are taking part at one time. Group therapy can have up to ___ people in one therapy session. This makes the cost per person less than a one-on-one session, and it can also add value in hearing other people’s stories and insights.
Online Therapy has become widely accessible since 2020. One way to do online therapy is to see your regular therapist via a zoom chat, which may not lessen the price. Another form of online therapy is to sign up to an online therapy platform like Talk Space or Better Help. These platforms offer therapy sessions with options for text messages and more for a cheaper monthly rate than regular therapy.
How Long Should You Spend In Therapy?
You should spend as long as you need to when going to a therapist. Perhaps you are dealing with some stress at work; you might feel mentally on track and have a plan to succeed in 3 sessions.
On the other hand, you might have lost your father or mother and have a tough time dealing with the grief. This may take 6-12 months of going two times a week.
There is no set limit where your brain says, “OK, I’m healed; thanks for going __ times to therapy.”
If you are at a point in your therapy sessions where you feel there is nothing else to work on and are in a mentally good place, you should bring this up with your therapist. They understand that you will come and go throughout the years; you do not need to feel bad about breaking up with your therapist.
How Often Should You Go To Couples Therapy?
You should go to couples therapy 2-4 times a month. Going to treatment as a couple is no different than going to therapy alone. The only difference is the cost; however, you can split it, and it will be cheaper than a single talk therapy session since there are two of you.
While you are going to therapy with your partner or spouse, it can be helpful also to see a separate therapist on your own. By visiting a therapist by yourself, you can work through some of the things that may come up in your couples therapy sessions that you want to work on to get better at.
And by seeing a separate therapist, there will be no chance of any partner feeling the therapist is taking sides when the other person is not there.
FAQ
Therapy every two weeks is valuable if that is all you can afford. However, if you have the money and time, you will get more value out of seeing your therapist every week.
No, once a month is not enough for therapy if you can afford to see your therapist more often. The more often you see your therapist the quicker you will be able to address whats needed for your mental health.
You can’t see your therapist too often. If you can afford to see your therapist daily, you should.
