The Single-Session Therapy Mindset: What to Keep in Mind and Implications for Practice
Book Details
- Publisher : Routledge
- Published : April 2026
- Cover : Paperback
- Pages : 160
- Category :
Counselling - Catalogue No : 98498
- ISBN 13 : 9781041244295
- ISBN 10 : 1041244290
Also by Windy Dryden
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The Single-Session Therapy Mindset delivers a comprehensive view of the single-session therapy mindset and how it influences practice. In his most important book to date on single-session therapy, Windy Dryden gives a detailed exploration of the 50 elements of the single-session therapy mindset.
Each chapter outlines and discusses the conceptual part of a single-session therapy mindset element before discussing its implications for the practice of single-session therapy. Reflective of Windy Dryden’s professional experience and drawing on previous research, this book provides a fresh, original perspective exploring the ‘how’ and ‘what’ of single-session therapy.
A must-have resource for any single-session therapy practitioner.
Table of Contents
1. Keep in mind that your client may or may not know what SST is
2. Keep in mind that you may see the client for one or more sessions. Be open to both possibilities
3. Keep in mind that one session may be sufficient for the client
4. Keep in mind that you need to use time wisely in SST
5. Keep in mind that it is useful to invite your client to prepare for the session
6. Keep in mind the importance of focusing on now and that change is possible now
7. Keep in mind that you and your client should both be active in the session and collaborate with one another
8. Keep in mind that it is possible to conduct a session without prior knowledge of the person. However, also keep in mind that your client may feel that, without you knowing certain things about them, you will not be able to help them.
9. Keep in mind that not knowing is a key part of SST
10. Keep in mind what you fail to keep in mind in SST
11. Keep in mind that you should start therapy from the first moment, if possible
12. Keep in mind that the session is complete in itself. It is not necessarily the prelude to anything
13. Keep in mind that potentially, anyone can be helped in a single session. But also keep in mind that this does not mean that everybody will be helped
14. Keep in mind that the client in front of you is a unique person, and not representative of a disorder
15. Keep in mind that the client-therapist relationship can be established rapidly
16. Keep in mind that it is critical that you are transparent with your client
17. Keep in mind that the client is the expert in their own life. Thus, single-session therapy should be client-led
18. Keep in mind that people are constantly changing
19. Keep in mind that the client decides how much therapy they want
20. Keep in mind that different clients will seek different forms of help from the session
21. Keep in mind that you have plenty of time to do the work
22. Keep in mind not to overload the client
23. Keep in mind to keep your ego out of the way
24. Keep in mind the importance of negotiating an end-of-session goal with the client
25. Keep in mind the importance of co-creating a therapeutic focus and maintaining it once it has been created
26. Keep in mind that, unless the client’s preference is to the contrary, a single-session therapy session requires a structure. It has a beginning, a middle and an end
27. Keep in mind that a complex problem does not necessarily require a complex solution
28. Keep in mind that your client has probably attempted to solve their problem before. Look for what has worked, even a little
29. Keep in mind that the client has strengths, even though they may be hidden from view
30. Keep in mind that the client probably has access to a range of potentially helpful external resources
31. Keep in mind that if you expect change, it often happens.
32. Keep in mind to focus first on what the client brings to the table
33. Keep in mind the importance of offering the client the opportunity to hear what you can bring to the table if what is already on the table is insufficient to effect change
34. Keep in mind to check to see if your client is discussing what they want to discuss
35. Keep in mind that you will probably need to use different methods with different clients
36. Keep in mind that it is important to remain hopeful and trust the client
37. Keep in mind that if your client is seeking help for a problem, you will probably both need to be solution-focused
38. Keep in mind the value of rehearsing a solution
39. Keep in mind the value of action planning
40. Keep in mind that all you may need to do is to get the client moving, and that small may be beautiful
41. Keep in mind that change occurs in different forms
42. Keep in mind the usefulness of asking your client to summarise the session as you reach the end of the session
43. Keep in mind the helpfulness of encouraging your client to specify their takeaway(s) from the session
44. Keep in mind the value of encouraging your client to generalize their learning, if possible
45. Keep in mind that the benefits that your client derives from the session will be mainly achieved outside the session
46. Keep in mind that the best time for your client to judge if they need more help is when they have had an opportunity to reflect on what they learned from the session, to digest this learning, to implement what they learned and to let time pass a little
47. Keep in mind the importance of ending the session well so that the client leaves the session with their morale restored
48. Keep in mind the value of taking nothing for granted in SST
49. Keep in mind that it is OK if the client chooses to seek further help and it is OK if they don’t
50. Keep in mind that every session provides you with the opportunity to develop as a single-session therapist
About the Author(s)
Windy Dryden is in clinical and consultative practice and is an international authority on cognitive behaviour therapy and single-session therapy and coaching. He is Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapeutic Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has worked in psychotherapy for more than 50 years and is the author or editor of over 300 books.
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