Mar 25, 2025
When deciding to start therapy, you might be wondering how long therapy will take. Knowing what kind of time commitment you’re making is important to budgeting for therapy and for preparing your expectations.
Therapy is not meant to be a life-long commitment. Ideally, you’ll come to a therapist with an idea of what you want to work on. You and your therapist will create goals you can work towards during sessions. Once you meet those goals, you will either make new goals or close out therapy. A therapist is always there for you later on if you need help with something new or have experienced a resurgence of symptoms.
It’s rare that someone needs life-long therapy, so how long does therapy usually take? And what happens when you reach that threshold and still feel like you could use more therapy? This article answers those questions and more.
How long does therapy take?
According to the APA, “15 to 20 sessions are required for 50 percent of patients to recover as indicated by self-reported symptom measures.” However, growing research suggests that a moderate treatment length of 12-16 sessions result in clinically significant improvements.
On average, you can expect to see a therapist once a week for 3-4 months, although this is highly dependent on individual factors.
Factors that influence the length of therapy
Factors that might influence how long therapy takes include:
- Acute vs Chronic problems: Let’s say you recently experienced a death in the family and are dealing with anxiety, depression, and grief. This is an acute trauma, meaning the cause is immediate and identifiable. Acute mental health issues tend to resolve on their own with time, but therapy can help hasten that time period and make it easier. Chronic problems are usually deeper issues, often stemming from childhood experiences, that have lasted for a long time. Maybe you’ve been an anxious person for years, or maybe a childhood trauma has stunted your relationship growth and you want to address it. Chronic issues typically take a little more time than acute.
- Type of treatment: Some therapy modalities are brief and solution-focused. Others are more explorative in nature and examine many facets of human psychology, like inter-family systems or psychotherapy. Neither type is better or worse than the other; each has its place. Short-term modalities may be helpful to those who only get so many free therapy sessions per year with their insurance or who need immediate symptom relief.
- Co-occurring conditions: Research suggests people with co-occurring disorders (like co-morbid anxiety and depression, for example) may need longer to work through the intricacies of their disorders.
- Personality: Some personality traits may make it so more time is needed for therapy to be effective. A common saying amongst therapists is that they “cannot help those who do not want to be helped,” meaning that people who come to therapy willing to change and work for that change are much more likely to have a shorter time in therapy than those who are resistant to change or self-reflection.
There are some psychiatric conditions which may require long-term therapy, such as Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder. Even these, however, tend to improve with time and treatment, and therapy sessions may drop to once or twice a month.
How do I know when to stop therapy?
Ideally, your therapist will know when you’ve accomplished your goals and will help you close out of therapy. Sometimes, however, you might feel ready to stop therapy before your therapist realizes it.
Reasons to stop therapy include:
- You’ve successfully accomplished the goals you and your therapist agreed upon.
- What if I didn’t set any goals? Ask your therapist if you can do some goal planning now. Some therapists aren’t as black-and-white when it comes to goal planning. That question at the beginning of therapy—why do you want to attend therapy?—is usually the basis of your goal setting and the direction of therapy.
- Your therapist should discuss approximate treatment time with you at the beginning of the session, and it’s common for them to check-in with you as therapy proceeds. A good therapist will be able to tell you when you’ve accomplished the goals and either help you form new ones or transition you out of therapy. Remember that the goal of therapy is not to stay in it forever; it’s to learn the tools you need and process what you need to.
- You’re not a good fit with your therapist. Sometimes, you need to break up with your therapist. This is okay, and therapists have learned to expect it. They can’t be a good fit for everyone, and will help you find a therapist who does help.
Research has found general trends that show the longer treatment the more effective the outcome. There is, of course, a point of diminishing returns. 5 years of therapy may not get you any more benefit than 3 years.
“It May Get Worse Before It Gets Better”
If you’ve ever heard this phrase, you might be filled with a feeling of dread. Worse? How could it get worse? When our brains go through something traumatic or stressful, they develop all sorts of coping mechanisms, some of them unhealthy called maladaptive behaviors. Part of therapy is unlearning these unhealthy coping mechanisms. Another part is looking at the behaviors, past experiences, and emotions that hurt and processing them. While this is very effective, it can also be painful. Becoming aware of your anxiety may make you more anxious, but becoming aware of it is the first step towards healing.
How can you tell if therapy is working?
If therapy is still working and you see an active improvement in your mental health, staying in therapy makes sense! You can tell therapy is working if you notice:
- Increased Self-Awareness: You may find yourself better understanding your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, leading to increased self-awareness and insight into your mental health.
- Improved Coping Strategies: As therapy progresses, you may develop healthier coping mechanisms to manage stress, anxiety, or depression, enabling you to navigate challenges more effectively.
- Enhanced Communication: Therapy can help improve communication skills, both with yourself and others, leading to more open, honest, and meaningful interactions in your relationships.
- Reduced Symptoms: A significant sign of therapy working is a decrease in the intensity or frequency of distressing symptoms such as panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, or overwhelming sadness.
- Increased Empowerment: Therapy can empower you to take proactive steps towards positive change, helping you regain a sense of control over your life and decisions.
- Better Relationships: Improved self-awareness and communication skills can lead to healthier relationships with others, fostering deeper connections and more fulfilling interactions.
- Setting Boundaries: Therapy may help you establish and maintain boundaries that prioritize your well-being, allowing you to protect your mental health and nurture healthier relationships.
- Increased Motivation: Feeling more motivated, inspired, and committed to personal growth and self-care can indicate that therapy is helping you move forward on your mental health journey.
- Celebrating Progress: Recognizing small wins, achievements, and positive changes in your thoughts, behaviors, or emotional responses is a sign that therapy is making a positive impact on your well-being.
- Feeling Hopeful: One of the most significant signs that therapy is working is experiencing a renewed sense of hope, optimism, and belief in your ability to overcome challenges and live a brighter, more fulfilling life.
Your improvement will be specific to your goals, but these are some good, general improvements that many people experience after attending therapy.
If you are ready to talk to a therapist, Lifebulb can help. We accept most major insurance and have no wait lists. Browse our list of over 200 online therapists, or contact our support team to be matched with a therapist near you.
