The demand for mental health services far exceeds the availability of providers, creating widespread waitlists for treatment and gaps in traditional care models. Scalable service delivery models are needed to provide interim care for facing long waitlists for care, as well as for those whose needs may not be met via dominant, once-weekly treatment approaches. Single-session interventions (SSIs), structured programs that involve just one clinic visit, provider meeting, or clinical encounter, can bridge gaps in the mental healthcare system given their concise format, relative ease of training, and low burden on systems of care.
One form of SSIs, the Single-Session Consultation (SSC), is an evidence-based, flexible program that directly addresses the need to support people when they seek care, rather than weeks-to-months later, regardless of specific clinical needs. Grounded in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, the SSC is designed for delivery in a single 30-to-60-minute session, that can support people precisely when they reach out for mental health treatment—boosting their motivation for change and buffering against symptom declines while people wait for longer-term care. Within just one SSC meeting, clinicians can help the individual identify the tools and capabilities they already possess to solve a problem at hand and to take steps toward a future in which that problem is less influential. In multiple real-world trials, the SSC has prevented (and reduced) mental health problems in teens and adults waiting for longer-term treatment and seeking drop-in clinical services. The SSC is delivered as part of routine clinical care in outpatient-, school-, community-, and emergency room-based clinics within and beyond the United States (e.g., in Australia and Canada). The SSC can serve as: (1) an immediate offering for people placed on waitlists; (2) an adjunct to intakes, to provide clients with an action plan to address immediate needs; (3) a complement to ongoing services—to boost motivation, to address emergent problems, or as a booster session; (4) a strengths-based safety planning tool; (5) a drop-in service, for people who cannot commit to or do not desire ongoing therapy. This workshop will introduce overview to the SSC, along with guidelines for integrating it into a variety of practice settings.
Learning Objectives:
Summarize the benefits and limitations of using the Single Session Consultation (SSC) with clients presenting with diverse clinical needs.
Participants will be prepared to begin delivering the SSC with clients with diverse clinical needs, with ongoing clinical supervision and support.
Evaluate the usefulness of the SSC in their own practice.
