On this, we add the reality that what you can afford and your available therapies determine your options. Either way, continuity and regularity are key. This guide will explain why showing up regularly matters and how it can enhance the therapeutic outcomes you are working towards.
Table of Contents | Jump Ahead
Benefits of Regular Attendance
Consequences of Irregular Attendance
Strategies to Improve Attendance
Role of Punctuality
Key Takeaways
FAQ
Benefits of Regular Attendance
Consistency in Progress
Regular sessions allow for continuous progress in your therapeutic journey. Each appointment builds on the last, helping to deepen your understanding of yourself and the issues you are addressing. This consistency is crucial for making sustainable changes.
Even with weekly or twice-weekly sessions, you'll be surprised at how challenging it is to remember what you discussed in the previous meeting. With longer intervals, session time is quickly filled, and updating your therapist on what's happened in life, so finding time to look into you, who you are, where you are going, and what you may want to do about it quickly runs out.
Building a Therapeutic Relationship
The frequency and regularity of your sessions also strengthen your relationship with your therapist. This relationship is pivotal in therapy, providing a secure base to explore personal, painful, or vulnerability-inducing topics.
Depending on the nature of the therapy and your aims, e.g., in-depth work or in a crisis, some therapists recommend meeting more than once a week. Doing so helps deepen this therapeutic relationship and provides more significant support, especially in the early stages of therapy or during particularly challenging periods. It also enables you to connect to and discuss deeper parts of your mind.
Routine and Structure
Having a set schedule for your therapy sessions can create a comforting routine. This predictability is particularly therapeutic for individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, or other emotional disturbances. It provides a structured time dedicated to working on oneself, which can be stabilising amid chaotic personal experiences.
Apart from helping to increase the safety of the therapeutic setting, the routine creates calming rhythms and assists you in learning and practising new skills and consistently doing homework, such as those taught in Mindfulness, DBT and CBT.
Consequences of Irregular Attendance
Disruption in Progress
Missing therapy sessions significantly disrupts progress. Irregular attendance causes setbacks and interrupts your ability to build on the work done in the previous sessions (they aren't easy to remember, and new matters become relevant). Missing these opportunities adds up, slows your therapeutic journey, extends the time required to achieve your goals, and limits what's possible.
Weakening Relationship Dynamics
Consistency in attendance impacts the therapeutic relationship. As with friends, colleagues, and family (hopefully), meeting regularly fosters trust and a sense of warmth and connection. Unlike most other transactional relationships, these factors are core for effective therapy. Think about it: we take the things said by people who matter and what you say to them more seriously, right?
Missing sessions disrupt this dynamic, making it difficult to achieve a level of openness and comfort that facilitates more impactful work.
Loss of Continuity
Gaps between sessions can lead to losing continuity in discussing and processing issues. Each session typically revisits and builds upon the insights from the last meeting; without this continuity, you and your therapist may need additional time re-establishing the context, which can detract from moving forward.
Strategies to Improve Attendance
Scheduling
To avoid missing sessions, accept that rule number one is to show up. Schedule your meetings at your most convenient times, considering your daily routines and other commitments. Digital reminders or a dedicated calendar for therapy appointments can also help you stay organized, punctual, and consistent.
Discuss Barriers with Your Therapist
If you find regular attendance challenging, discuss this openly with your therapist. Whether the barriers are emotional, such as resistance to discussing painful topics, financial, or logistical, such as transportation issues, your therapist can work with you to find solutions. Sometimes, shifting to a different time of day or frequency of sessions can make a significant difference.
Commitment to Therapy
View your therapy sessions as a vital part of your weekly routine, similar to a recurring medical appointment or an important professional meeting. Prioritising this time as essential and being open with people you love and trust about your attendance and commitment to therapy can help reinforce the value of therapy and motivate you to maintain regular attendance and improve your outcomes.
Role of Punctuality
Maximising Session Time
Being punctual for your therapy sessions is crucial. It ensures you have the full time to work through your issues without a rush or losing the first few minutes late and then apologising and explaining (which happens to everyone). Arriving on time allows you to settle in and make the most of every minute in therapy, which is vital when working through complex or deep-seated issues.
Respect for the Therapeutic Process
Punctuality also shows respect for your therapeutic process and acknowledges your therapist's effort in preparing for each session, but this is not what matters most. Being punctual shows self-respect. It demonstrates your commitment to your healing journey and sets a tone of seriousness and dedication to your work together.
Avoidance of Painful Discussions
Sometimes, arriving late can unconsciously be a way of avoiding difficult or painful discussions. You might not even realise you're doing it, but part of you may resist diving into challenging topics (and why wouldn't we?). Being punctual can, therefore, be an act of courage, confronting these avoidance behaviours head-on and committing to face whatever comes up in your sessions.
Taking note of the times you aren't punctual can help you and your therapist fruitfully consider what might be on the edges of your mind that could be difficult but important to discuss. This way of thinking helps shift attention to punctuality from something moral to something worth being curious about, a learning opportunity.
Building a Reliable Structure
Regular and punctual attendance helps build a reliable structure for your therapy and creates a calming and containing rythm to your life. This structure and routine create a predictable and secure framework that can make it easier for you to open up and delve into sensitive areas.
When therapy sessions become a regular part of your schedule, it can also help normalise the process of discussing complex topics, making them less daunting over time, both in and beyond therapy.
By valuing punctuality, you reinforce the importance of your therapy sessions and create an environment conducive to effective and meaningful work.
Key Takeaways
- Consistency Enhances Therapy: Regular attendance and punctuality are foundational to effective therapy. They ensure the therapeutic process is continuous, allowing for consistent progress and deeper exploration of issues.
- Strengthens Therapeutic Relationship: Consistent presence in therapy sessions enhances the relationship with your therapist, fostering a deeper bond crucial for successful outcomes.
- Maximises Therapeutic Impact: Each session builds on the last, so regular attendance maximises the impact of your therapeutic efforts, helping you move steadily towards your goals.
- Overcomes Avoidance: Punctuality and regularity also help combat avoidance behaviours, particularly around discussing painful or difficult topics. Consistently facing these aids in more profound healing.
- Respect and Commitment: Showing up on time shows respect for both the therapist’s efforts and your healing process, emphasising the importance of therapy in your life.
FAQ
What if I need to miss a session?
If you need to miss a session, it’s best to notify your therapist as soon as possible. Discuss with them how to handle the missed time, whether it’s rescheduling or adjusting your session plan to keep progress on track.
How can I make therapy a priority when I have a busy schedule?
Treat therapy like any other critical appointment. Schedule it when you are least likely to be interrupted or required elsewhere. Reminders on your phone or calendar can also help keep your therapy sessions a fixed part of your weekly routine.
Does being late really affect my therapy progress?
Yes, being late can limit the time you have in your session, reducing the effectiveness of your therapy. It may also disrupt the flow and focus needed to thoroughly address deeper or more complex issues.
What should I do if my therapy schedule isn’t working?
Discuss this with your therapist if your schedule makes it difficult to attend regularly or on time. They can often offer flexible options or alternative times that might better accommodate your needs, ensuring you can maintain consistency in your therapy.
"Consistency in therapy is vital. Regular attendance helps build the therapeutic alliance and maintains momentum in the healing process." - Dr. Irvin Yalom
