Single session and walk‐in psychotherapy: A descriptive account of the literature

Abstract

Over the last several decades single session psychotherapy has become a mainstream psychotherapeutic approach. A steadily increasing demand for psychotherapeutic services and a continuous reduction in mental health care resources worldwide are both largely responsible for this development. This paper describes single session psychotherapy and provides a brief review of the relevant literature. Single session psychotherapy delivered in walk‐in settings is also discussed. Therapists who are unfamiliar with single session psychotherapy will find that this paper provides a concise introduction to the essential processes and outcomes of this psychotherapeutic approach.

Single session email consultation for parents: an evaluation of its effect on empowerment

“…Research literature on single-session therapy (Cameron, 2007;Campbell, 2012) suggests that a meaningful first meeting is sufficient for clients with an identifiable and solvable problem, the active will to change, the ability to identify previous success and access to social support resources, but this claim is based on experiential evidence only. According to Talmon (2012), the open attitude in both practitioners and clients to consider that one session may be enough to solve problems optimises the clients' readiness to change and brings focus to the therapeutic interaction.…”

A comparison of walk-in counselling and the wait list model for delivering counselling services

“…Significant improvement in severity and frequency of presenting problem for the treatment group was reported compared to the control after 6 weeks. Reviews of these studies have concluded that SST may be helpful for some clients, but more rigorous research is needed (Bloom, 2001;Cameron, 2007;Campbell, 2012;authors, 2013;Hurn, 2005).…”

Using Walk-In Counseling Services After Hurricane Katrina: A Program Evaluation

“…First, using the model, clients usually meet with a clinician once, in a single session of therapy. The model is suitable for individuals whose problems are time sensitive and need immediate attention (Cameron, 2007). Because walk-in services are provided immediately, they are suitable for people who are interested in a solution-focused approach (Cameron, 2007).…”