Single Session Thinking in a Scottish CAMHS Context

In this workshop we want to engage the audience in the Single Session Thinking (SST) mind-set. SST is therapy that is approached one-session-at-a-time. It is a deliberate approach to "capture the moment" to make the most of the first and potentially only session (think of how many ‘unplanned’ single sessions you’ve had when families do not return). It is single by design not by default, and highlights a way of thinking rather than a method of intervention. SST is not a specific therapy in its own right, but a multi-theoretical perspective. It is essentially a delivery format which can be conducted through a variety of therapeutic frames; systemic psychotherapy being one. The term fascinates professionals, challenges their assumptions and prompts them to think through several issues concerning therapy length, client preferences and related points.  

Since May 2025, based on SST, a pilot offering a Single Session Appointment has been running weekly in NHS Grampian CAMHS. Young people and families are offered a 90 minute appointment within 3 weeks of being referred to the service in order to provide help as close as possible to the point of the request for help, when motivation for change is highest; conversely most services offer appointments when the service has availability. Offering an appointment close to the point of the request for help, using SST reflects how people use services. Jeff Young, Family & Systemic Psychotherapist from the Bouverie Centre in Melbourne (2018), found three core elements to SST: 

1. The most common number of service contacts attended is one, followed by two, then three, irrespective of diagnosis, severity or complexity and is replicated worldwide. 

2. 70-80% who attend a single session across therapies report the single session was adequate given their current circumstance.

3. It is impossible to accurately predict who will attend only one session, and who will attend more. 

In this workshop we aim to explain what single session thinking is, and what it is not (an attempt to offer less), how it can be used in any setting and we hope to inspire the audience to think about where a SST mind-set might be applicable in their contexts by inviting them in to generative discussions and experiential practice. We will also share how the pilot was set up, what it takes to keep the momentum going, and where we hope it’s going next. (397 words).

References: 

Cannistra. F & Hoyt. M (2025) Single Session Therapies - Why and How One at a Time Mind-sets are Effective. Ed. 

Hoyt. M, Young. J & Ryecroft P. (2021) Single Session Thinking and Practice in Global, Cultural and Familial Contexts: Expanding Applications Ed. 

Stephenson. K. (2023) Single Session Thinking: Its Global Impact and Role in Therapeutic Services Context 190. Dec. 

https://www.windydryden.com/post/what-is-single-session-therapy