ABSTRACT
The purpose of Single-Session Therapy (SST), like other forms of therapy, is to help the client effect change. This chapter discusses the issue of individual-focused change where the therapist helps the person to solve their problem by making a change within themselves. When working with individuals in SST, therapists mainly work directly with clients to produce change in behaviour, sensation, imagery and cognition. The chapter defines an inference as 'a hunch about reality that goes beyond the data at hand and which may be correct incorrect'. It utilises Colman's definition of attitude as 'an enduring pattern of evaluative responses towards a person, object, or issue'. Inferential change involves the client standing back and examining the evidence for and against the inference they have made and possible alternative inferences. When the client's problem is due to or exacerbated by a behavioural skills deficit, then the therapist may help them by helping them acquire or develop the relevant skill.
