Who decided that a therapy hour is 50 minutes? What makes that the right amount of time to access deep emotional work and create change? The 50 minute therapy hour was originally created by Freud, who often didn’t actually adhere to it and is known to have looser boundaries than most therapists today would deem ethical. There are a few good reasons to keep the therapy hour. One, is that it provides a container for clients in terms of knowing that they can share deep hurts and pains and still re-enter their world soon after. Another, is that regular 50 minute sessions (meaning consecutively over weeks) can create change and allow time to process insights that were explored in sessions. And lastly, insurance typically only covers a 30, 45, or 50 minute session.
Although Therapy With Heart continues to offer 50 minute sessions to many clients each week, I’m here to challenge this format as the best or most effective form of therapy. I have found especially with couples, that 2 hours or longer actually helps create honest conversations, deepen emotions, and build movement towards change, healing and connection. I often have couples that meet with me twice a month for two hour blocks, or couples that come in for occasional intensives of 3-4 hours at a time.
Our goal is to create opportunities for clients to co-create their treatment based on their needs. Here are some common reasons couples decide to come to therapy for 2 hours or longer:
- Couples in a crisis considering divorce, separation, or breaking up
- Couples recently healing from infidelity
- Couples with childcare or work schedule that challenge meeting on a weekly basis
- Couples who live far away from highly skilled marriage therapists
- Couples where one partner is often traveling
- Couples who live in separate areas of the country
- Any couple in transition
We have a strong team of therapists that offer schedules to match the needs of the client. This might mean meeting over the weekend, or broken up over days or evenings. We want to provide you with the support you need which could be a weekly therapy hour or an opportunity that might mean taking therapy outside the box!
This Post Written By:
Rachel Thomas, Owner, LMFT – Therapy With Heart
8737 E. Via De Commercio, Suite 200
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258
Phone: (480) 888-5380
Fax: (480) 203-2881
Email: Rachel@TherapyWithHeart.com
Website: https://therapywithheart.com
