Skills in Single-Session Therapy Part 2: Ways of Beginning the Session
Windy Dryden
Citation: Dryden, W. (2022). Skills in Single-Session Therapy Part 2: Ways of Beginning the Session. European Journal of Counselling Theory, Research and Practice, 6, 3, 1-4.
https://ejctrap.nationalwellbeingservice.com/volumes/volume-6-2022/volume-6-article-3/
Processing dates: Submitted: 1 June 2022; Re-submitted: 16 June 2022; Accepted: 20 June 2022; Published: 22 June 2022
Abstract
It is important to get the session in single-session therapy off to a good start. In this
paper, I discuss the different ways of beginning SST and give examples of each method. I will also detail how three famous therapists began their single session with ‘Gloria’ in demonstrating their approach to therapy and consider how consistent each beginning was with the theory underpinning the approach in question.
Key words: beginning the session, questions, single-session therapy, ‘Gloria Films’
Biography
Windy Dryden is Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapeutic Studies at Goldsmiths University of London and is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has authored or edited over 250 books. His current interests are in singlesession and very brief interventions within a therapy and coaching context. Relevant publications include: Single-Session Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques’ (Routledge, 2019) which outlines the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of the single-session mindset and The Single-Session Counselling Primer: Principles and Practice (PCCS Books, 2020) which is a comprehensive introduction to SST for counsellors. His book, Very Brief Therapeutic Conversations (Routledge, 2018) is focused on work he has done conducting live demonstrations of therapy/coaching in front of an audience that last 30 minutes or less. He has done more than 650 such demonstrations all over the world.
His goal is to disseminate SST/OAAT with the hope that it might help provide help at the point of need within the NHS, a form of IAPT where the ‘I’ stands for ‘Immediate’. His latest book is Dryden, W. (2022). Single-session integrated CBT (SSI-CBT): Distinctive features. 2nd edition, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5819-749X