Intermittent Therapy
Not all clients want either Brief Therapy or LongTerm Therapy; they want something in between that fits in with their lives.Intermittent Therapy is the modern way to approach working with a therapist. It means that the therapist is there for you whenever you want. The therapist does not insist on a certain number of sessions (‘Oh this is a very deep problem and is going to require two sessions a week for five years’) nor working on predetermined issues (‘Oh you are experiencing depression, we can fix that in, Oh, ten sessions?’).
Instead, the therapist takes a pragmatic view that the client is in control, and can come for as many sessions as they want, when they want. Some clients come once only. Some clients come twice a week for months. Most clients come for a few sessions initially, but then come back intermittently over their lives for a ‘top-up’ or a ‘tune-up’ whoever they feel it necessary. It can feel good to have a supportive collegial relationship with someone not involved with your day-to-day life, who might offer an alternative viewpoint. To spend an hour every now and again, or weekly, with such a person, can help in so many ways.
Annie tells clients to think of her like a doctor or a dentist. ‘I’m here for you. Once I’ve got your background story and understand what has happened to you that brought you to therapy, there’s no need to repeat the details. You can just drop in and out whenever your want.’
Many clients find the Intermittent Approach fits in with their lives. Change can happen quickly or it can take more time. Often one problem can be replaced by another, and many clients have more than one problem at a time. As one problem is overcome, another can sometimes emerge. Difficulties which have their roots back in early childhood can take many years to process, and it is not necessary to be seeing the therapist every week during that time.
Life often takes over and a problem that may seen overwhelming one day can shrink into insignificance when events take over, but can re-emerge later.
Therapy is no longer regarded as either a LongTerm process or a Quick Change process (although much can happen in a single session). Intermittent Therapy is therapy that works for most people who have busy lives that the therapy needs to fit around. Often people come to see Annie when they are feeling fine, but know that there are things that they need to address, sometime.