Throughout my years in the mental health and addiction fields (and not just in times of economic uncertainty), one of the questions people ask me most frequently is: What can patients do to save money and time on therapy? 

There are plenty of things patients and their families are able to do make therapy more cost-effective, time-effective, and just plain effective, but for now I’d like to concentrate on just one of the numerous suggestions from my book, Therapy Revolution: Ask your therapist for homework.

Actually, today therapy homework isn’t merely employed as an occasional adjunct to therapy sessions but is a tool that’s growing in popularity in its own right. In many cases, done right, therapy homework can boost the effectiveness of therapy while saving time and money by reducing the number of therapy sessions needed. In some cases, therapy homework can even transition into self-therapy.

 At the risk of stating the obvious: Effective therapy doesn’t end when you leave the therapist’s office. The changes you inculcate, the ideas you reflect on, the growth that (hopefully) happens and so many more of the processes and benefits of therapy continue to happen at home, at work—even in traffic.

 Good therapy continues to happen.

 Since you are going to be continuing the therapy process outside the office anyway (or at least you should be), why not boost the effects by actively participating in the process the other 167 hours of the week? Your therapist might suggest a whole range of activities that can hone some of the skills and increase some of the insights you are working on in therapy.

 Some examples of therapy homework might include:

1. Keeping a Therapy Journal

Not only is a therapy journal a place to explore your thoughts and feelings about your feelings and thoughts and behaviors, or comment on the therapy process itself, it can be a good place to prepare for your next session. You can reflect on what topics keep you writing, what topics you might avoid writing about, what moves you, what leaves you cold, and so on. You can keep your journal private, or bring it into therapy and review parts of it with your therapist. Sometimes your most important insights come when you no one is around to share—write them down and share them with your journal!

2. Relationship Homework

Your therapist might assign you communication “games” to play. Someone told me about a “game” he was taught years ago by his marriage and family therapist. Each time he and his wife have a conversation about a possibly contentious subject (in this case their relationship and/or money), they take out a flooring or carpeting sample. Only the person who is holding the sample “has the floor” and is allowed to talk. The other person must be quiet and listen. When the person is done talking, the listener must repeat back what was said as he understood it—and if the person who has the floor agrees that the listener really “gets” it, the listener now gets the carpet sample, and it is his turn to “have the floor”.

Assignments like these are not only helpful, they can actually be fun.

3. Reading

Your therapist might assign you reading (or a video), that might include: 

         A. A highly recommended self-help book

         B.  A novel or film relevant to your life, for you to think about and discuss

         C. Educational material about your problems or symptoms (or mental illness or addiction if this is relevant)

         D. Articles or books your therapist (or another therapist) has written that might be relevant and offer solutions

4. Activities

If you struggle with fears or phobias your therapist might give you step-by-step assignments that can help you gradually overcome them. Or perhaps your depression or another problem improves with exercise—your therapist might say that jogging or other activity is an integral part of therapy and ask you to commit to a schedule of exercise (with the approval of your physician).

5. Practice Techniques

Your therapist might teach you techniques during your sessions, for example, he or she might teach you how to be more assertive with your boss. You might be given very specific phrases to say, or actions to perform when speaking with your boss or others. Of course, there are many, many different types of techniques you can learn that can help you with others, reframe situations, relieve anxiety, etc.

All these and more can become your therapy homework. No excuses – Do Your Homework!

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relationship counselor (February 16, 2010)

    Last reviewed: 21 Jan 2010