Between-session homework

Therapy is about learning new ways to approach situations, deal with challenges, and overcome obstacles - it’s kind of like school for life, and with school comes homework!

The truth is, I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to practise the skills you learn in session. As fantastic as we therapists like to think we are, you will not notice any change in your life from speaking to us for an hour a week. The stuff that happens in-between sessions is the magic.

I like to empower my clients to take charge of their mental health. This means setting some goals for the week and having an actionable plan of how to work towards those goals.

In the first session I have with all my clients, I ask them what their end goal is. For some, it’s learning to be truly happy, for others it’s improving their confidence and self-esteem, or perhaps finding a job/career they have a great passion for.

Whatever their end goal for therapy is, I ask them how they can get there and what small steps they think they need to take. So then, each week we are actually chipping away at and working towards this larger end goal.

And the key to that is doing your between-session homework.

Homework provides an opportunity for you to practice and apply the skills, strategies, or insights discussed during therapy. Repetition outside the therapy session helps reinforce learning and empowers you to integrate those tools into your daily life.

We know that the time between therapy sessions can be a valuable period for growth. Homework ensures that you're consistently working on your goals and challenges, maintaining momentum even when you're not physically in the therapy room. Plus, the skills and strategies learned in therapy need to be applicable to real-life situations.

Homework provides an avenue to practise these skills in your day-to-day life, enabling you to generalise them to various contexts.

Now don’t forget, I’ve been on the other end too! In fact, I’ve been to a few different therapists throughout my life. There was one that I found super nice and friendly, but every week I felt like I was just coming in, having a good cry and then leaving with no skills or resources or things to work on during the week.

At that stage in my life, I didn’t need another friend… I needed someone who could help rebuild my toolbox and work with me to make change in my life.

When I then went on to find another therapist (because sometimes we do need to shop around a bit!), one of the first things I told her was “I need to be given homework and things to try during the week that I can then come back and report to you about”. Safe to say, she took that right on board and 4 years later, I still see her and have such a great relationship with her.

So I have seen both as a therapist, and as a client, how valuable between-session homework is!

Remember, homework from therapy is designed to support your progress and should be tailored to your unique needs. Openly discussing your experiences with the homework during your therapy sessions can help your therapist fine-tune their approach and offer additional guidance.

Homework serves as a bridge between the insights gained in therapy and the positive changes you seek in your daily life.

The bottom line?

The same rule from school applies - do your homework!