The Origins of Single-Session Therapy: An Examination of Freud’s Single Sessions

This book explores the single- session work done by Sigmund Freud and considers the implications of this work for the current theory and practice of single- session therapy (SST).

While contemporary interest in SST can be traced to Moshe Talmon’s (1990) book, its origins go back to Freud. There are three cases in the literature where Freud can be said to practise SST and this is the first book that examines these cases in one place and without getting caught up in the intricacies of Freudian theory. Dryden first explores the three cases in which Freud conducted single- session work with patients. Particular attention is paid to the third patient, Margarethe Lutz, who discussed the session in an interview. This work is important because it is the only client- based view of Freud conducting therapy that lasted a single session. The book closely examines the work of Freud in these sessions and tracks how it impacts the development of SST.

This book will be of interest to any single- session practitioners as well as those scholars and followers of Freud.

Windy Dryden is in part-time clinical and consultative practice and is an international authority on rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) and single-session therapy (SST). He has worked in psychotherapy for more than 50 years and is the author and editor of over 290 books.