What’s the difference between brief and longer term therapy?
Other than their length, how do longer term and brief therapies differ? Brief therapy typically refers to solution-based therapy with a distinct goal in mind (for example, looking at patterns of negative thinking). Often having a tighter focus than longer-term therapy, brief sessions typically span six to twelve sessions.
Brief sessions may involve tasks or assignments you need to complete each week outside of your sessions, while longer term therapy usually doesn’t. Brief therapy may have a more structured approach (both within the sessions themselves and overall), whereas longer-term sessions can be more led by where you decide to take each session, exploring your past, thoughts, memories or experiences.
Where brief therapies often focus on how you can improve your life now, focusing on issues you are experiencing in your day-to-day life, longer-term therapies tend to look more at the past, helping you understand both yourself and how your past may affect things you do today.