You would like to have the answer to this question. You might want the answer to the question right away when you call the therapist or come in for the first time. After all if you leave your car with the mechanic or your slacks with the tailor, they will tell you how long it will take and when it will be ready.
Therapy is different.
If a psychologist gives you an exact answer to this question, you might want to go elsewhere for therapy. In psychology, part of the therapist’s job is to glean all the information possible to help you solve your problems and feel better. Therapists may even gather sufficient information quickly. Another part of the therapist’s job however, is to help you discover what you need to know at the right pace for you.
To put it simply, when the mechanic figures out what the problem is, how long will it take for the car to understand the problem and then repair itself, with the mechanic’s help? Or once the tailor has seen what alteration is needed, how long will it take for the slacks to measure the length and make the hem, with the tailor’s help? An effective psychologist will nudge you along in learning for yourself emotionally, not only intellectually, using an array of techniques from counseling and psychotherapy.
How long will this take you, with the psychologist’s help, to solve the problems you first stated? It’s hard to say. Therapy is dynamic, the pace of your progress will change. It will take active engagement and participation on your part. And probably more.
Debra BERG, The Bilingual Psychologist in Paris