Time-Limited vs Long-Term Psychotherapy: Key Differences

Depending on individual needs and goals, some people benefit from time-limited work, whereas others might be interested in committing to long-term work.

Time-limited therapy typically takes a few weeks to months (typically lasting up to 10-20 sessions, or three to five months), while long-term therapy can last more than five months.

Time-limited therapy is focused on immediate challenges, developing healthy coping skills, and identifying triggers, helping you to identify the most pressing issues.

Long-term therapy can help you in dealing with longstanding and complex issues by building awareness of how past experiences, thoughts, or feelings affect your life today and supporting you in making new decisions.

In my opinion, sustainable change happens slowly and takes time. Especially when we want the changes to become embodied in who we are. Progress is two steps forward, one step back.