If you have just decided to start therapy – or you have been going for a while and you are wondering whether your rhythm is right – it’s common to think about how often you are going, and whether it is ‘normal’.
In therapy, there isn’t really an exact formula for how often you should have sessions, it comes down mostly to personal circumstances.
Having said that, in our experience, most of our clients start therapy with weekly sessions, at least for the first few months.
After this initial period, it’s common to move on to one every 2 or 3 weeks.
However, it really does depend – some people like to have monthly check-ins, while others prefer to meet every week.
Why Weekly Is the Most Common Starting Point
Weekly is the most common starting point because it gives enough frequency for the therapist to get a real idea of your life and what you are struggling with. It also gives room for experimentation with different techniques, to quickly find what suits you.
Less frequent sessions at the start can make therapy feel like a series of catch-ups rather than a continuous process. By the time you sit down again, you are summarising the last fortnight rather than going deeper into anything.
For most people, starting online therapy weekly is what we recommend for at least the first few months – long enough to feel real movement before considering a different rhythm.
When More Frequent Sessions Help
There are times when twice a week, or even more, is the right call:
- Active crisis. If you are in acute distress – a recent loss, a mental health crisis, a sudden life event you are struggling to function through – more contact with your therapist gives you somewhere to put it.
- Trauma work. EMDR and intensive trauma processing sometimes work better with shorter intervals between sessions, because the work stays integrated rather than fragmenting between weeks.
The early phase of an eating disorder, an addiction, or severe anxiety. When symptoms are loud and daily, weekly support can be too far apart to feel containing.
If your therapist suggests increasing frequency, it is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It is a sign that the work in front of you needs more space.
When Less Frequent Works
After a stretch of weekly therapy, however long that is, a lot of people naturally change into a biweekly or monthly schedule.
This is sometimes called ‘maintenance therapy’ – and it’s more about staying on top of your progress than dealing with new issues.
This is a very healthy stage to be in. Therapy is not something you have to do forever at the same level. If you are stable, integrating what you have learned, and not in active distress, stretching sessions out can be the right next step.
What you do not want is to drop frequency too early because life feels manageable for a few weeks. The first sign of real progress can look a lot like “maybe I do not need this anymore.”
Signs It Might Be Time to Adjust
If you feel like your current pace for sessions is not suiting you, you may have already encountered some of the following signs:
- Conversations are repeated at every session.
- The work you put in during the sessions and after does not progress to the next session.
- Progress has happened, and you now feel that you need to slow things down rather than continue with weekly sessions.
If you start to notice any of these signs, all you need to do is speak to your therapist and see if anything needs to change. A good therapist should always be open to working out a new schedule, rather than booking more sessions simply for the sake of it.
Let Us Help You
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer for how often you should go to therapy – there are simply too many variables involved.
At Nexum, we connect people across Illinois,Texas,New Mexico, and Missouri with licensed therapists who will help you find a cadence that works for you, from the comfort of your own home.
Whether you are starting weekly, considering an increase during a difficult stretch, or moving toward bi-weekly maintenance, our therapists will meet you where you are. Healing happens at its own pace – and we will walk it with you.