What is short-term therapy and does it suit me? 3 myths and related facts

Many of us carry knots in our minds that need untangling. Not necessarily all the time, but for most people, this situation arises at some point in life at least once, usually every now and then. The threshold for seeking help can feel high, however. In public discussion, therapy is often depicted as a heavy, expensive process lasting years, requiring a doctor's referral and an official diagnosis.

There is also another path available. Short-term therapy offers low-threshold help precisely when challenges begin to weigh down your daily life. Next, let's break three common myths about short-term therapy so you know what actually happens at a session.

Myth 1: You can only go to therapy because of a serious crisis or diagnosis.

Facts:

Short-term therapy is specifically low-threshold therapy. You do not need a doctor's referral, a diagnosis, or a mental health disorder.

It is enough that you feel you would benefit from external conversational help for grief, burnout, stress, relationship problems, or a life change, for example.

Mild and moderate states of depression and anxiety can also be treated in short-term therapy, but it is not suitable for treating more severe mental health disorders, such as psychosis or schizophrenia.

It is worth seeking help before the situation escalates into a crisis. The faster problems are addressed, the more effectively they can be influenced.

Entries into the patient information system are not always made for short-term therapy visits. Therapists who hold a healthcare degree and can be understood to provide healthcare services based on their competence and training are obligated to make a record of the meeting. Healthcare professionals include doctors, nurses, and psychotherapists, for example.

Myth 2: Sessions only dwell on the past and childhood.

Facts:

At a psychiatric nurse's and short-term therapist's practice, the past is faced and understood, but the gaze quickly turns to the present and the future.

We do not get stuck on problems; instead, we actively look for solutions through a positive mindset. The client's own resources and concrete, practical tools are mapped out, and most often, they can be put to use starting the very next day.

The most appropriate form of therapy for processing childhood and youth traumas is often psychoanalytic psychotherapy, whereas short-term therapy aims to solve current problems.

Myth 3: The therapy process binds me for months or years.

Facts:

True to its name, short-term therapy is a fixed-term and goal-oriented process. Often, just 5–10 sessions are enough to untangle the hardest knots and clarify the direction, and sometimes even a single visit helps.

The client decides the number and pace of the sessions themselves according to their own needs and life situation. This makes the treatment not only flexible but also financially more predictable.

A very significant portion of therapy clients are not ready to commit to a long-term therapeutic relationship, and many client relationships end after the first few visits. Short-term therapy is partly aimed at precisely these people. The idea is that committing to a pre-determined, short-term therapy is better than committing to a psychotherapy lasting 1–3 years, for example.

How do I get started?

ApuRisto's principle is to make seeking help as easy as possible. You can come to a session at the traditional practice in Hämeenlinna, choose a flexible remote meeting, or we can even head out onto a running path side by side if talking while walking feels more natural to you, or we can arrange a home visit.

You do not need to know the answers in advance—it is enough that you take the first step.

Do you need support for your situation? 

From the link below, you can choose a suitable service and time for yourself.