Any Time Can Be Therapeutic!
Last one - any time can be therapeutic. The other articles I shared gave my thinking that anyone can be therapeutic, and anywhere can be therapeutic. Time is one of the most powerful ingredients in healing and therapeutics - the right dose at the right time makes the world of a difference. The right length of treatment is also a gamechanger.
Anyone that has taken one of my social work classes at Temple University has heard me say - therapy does not have to be a once a week commitment for two years. Not everyone needs weeks of therapy - most of our therapy protocols are 16-25 sessions! I have even had good results in five family sessions. All of this to say, that the amount of therapy needs to match the need, and we need to go beyond the default of once a week for an hour.
The Power of One Session
Sometimes, one good conversation at the right moment can change everything. Psychologist Dr. Jessica Schleider has spent years studying single-session interventions (SSIs) — brief, structured experiences that can deliver meaningful mental health benefits in just one sitting. Her research shows that for many people, one evidence-based session can reduce distress, increase hope, and build coping skills.
Dr Schleider and the Single Session Intervention -
Why? Because not everyone returns for a second appointment — and that first session may be the only window for change. Most people only attend one therapy appointment! So "strike while the iron is hot" -- that’s therapeutic intelligence in action — using time wisely, meeting people where they are, and responding in the moment.
Check out the single session interventions here!
Different Rhythms, Different Needs
This is not saying to do away with once a week therapy. It's just that not everyone needs that same prescription for care. Some people need a single, timely session. Others need a weekly rhythm of care to unpack trauma or grief. Some prefer self-paced, digital, or community-based support they can return to on their own timeline. Each pathway can be effective — if it matches the person’s needs in that moment, and that it is backed by the science that tells us how to keep people healthy. Therapeutic intelligence means knowing that timing isn’t just logistical. It’s clinical. It’s human.
Everyone, Everywhere, All Timing
Right-time support doesn’t only happen in therapy rooms. It happens in classrooms, community centers, workplaces, and homes — anywhere someone notices, listens, and responds. A teacher who checks in. A friend who texts at the right moment. A neighbor who listens without judgment. These are all what I'd consider micro-interventions — brief, relational acts of care that change outcomes. Research shows that when communities are equipped to offer early, brief support, people recover faster and stay connected longer.
Building Time-Aware Systems of Care
Therapeutic intelligence asks us to design systems that are responsive, not rigid. That means expanding our therapy playbook to include single-session options for anyone seeking help now. We need to educate community members and educators in micro-skills for support. And for us systems-people, we need to redesign mental health services systems to create layered pathways. Image the possibility of one conversation that can flow naturally into ongoing care or self-guided tools!
Timing matters. Support that comes too early or too late can miss the window for support— but care that arrives at the right time, in the right dose, can make a deeper impact. I truly believe therapeutic intelligence is everywhere — in every person, every place, and every moment of care. When we get timing right, we don’t just deliver mental health care. We build it into the fabric of community life.