ABSTRACT
Most training programmes in counselling and psychotherapy are based on the premise that the therapeutic process involves a beginning, middle and end, and extends over time. The assumption is that therapy certainly lasts for more than one session. While it is clear that many therapies last for more than one session with some extending over many years, it is also true that the modal number of sessions is 'one'. This means that the most frequently occurring number of sessions that people have is 'one'. This single session mode appears to be the case internationally. If the modal number of therapy sessions is 'one' and clients are generally happy with this single session, but therapists are not adequately prepared to offer Single-session therapy (SST), then we have a serious gap between what clients are seeking according to their behaviour and what therapists are providing for them.
