The Origins of Single-Session Therapy: Freud’s Work Revisited

An In-Conversation and Demonstration with Professor Windy Dryden

Single-Session Therapy is often understood as a relatively recent development within counselling and psychotherapy. Yet, as Professor Windy Dryden argues in his latest book, its origins may lie much earlier than is commonly assumed.

In The Origins of Single-Session Therapy: An Examination of Freud’s Single Sessions, Dryden offers a carefully researched and thought-provoking re-examination of Sigmund Freud. Rather than presenting Freud solely as the architect of long-term psychoanalysis, the book reveals a clinician capable of working flexibly, decisively, and effectively within a single therapeutic encounter.

This event invites participants into a reflective and practice-oriented exploration of those ideas through conversation, demonstration, and clinical reflection.

Part One: In Conversation with Windy Dryden

In the opening part of the event, Professor Windy Dryden will be in conversation with John Wilson, exploring the thinking behind the book and the questions it raises for contemporary practice.

The discussion will centre on three striking historical encounters in which Freud worked intensively with clients in one meeting only, often outside the conventional consulting room and under pressing circumstances. These include:

• Freud responding immediately to an anxious young woman while on holiday, offering help at the point of need.
• A four-hour walk-and-talk session with composer Gustav Mahler, addressing deep relational and sexual difficulties.
• A decisive encounter with an 18-year-old woman in which Freud intervened to separate her from an oppressive parental dynamic, giving her a voice she later described as life-saving.

Through these cases, Windy and John will explore Freud’s clinical flexibility, his rapid formation of a therapeutic alliance, and the role of authority, presence, and timing in therapeutic change.

The conversation will also consider how these historical sessions compare with contemporary Single-Session Therapy practice, including Dryden’s concept of ONEplus therapy. This approach aims to help clients achieve something meaningful in one session, while explicitly keeping the door open to further work if needed.

Why This Conversation Matters for Contemporary Practice

Revisiting Freud through the lens of Single-Session Therapy challenges long-held assumptions about depth, time, and therapeutic effectiveness. At a moment when many practitioners are working under increasing time constraints, within brief therapy models, or with clients who may only attend once, this exploration offers a timely and grounded perspective.

Rather than positioning Single-Session Therapy as a rigid technique or a replacement for longer-term work, this event invites clinicians to reflect on mindset, clinical stance, and the potential significance of any single therapeutic meeting.

Part Two: Demonstration Session

In the second part of the event, Windy Dryden will offer a live demonstration session.

This demonstration is designed to translate the ideas discussed into contemporary clinical practice, illustrating how a single-session mindset can be held while working ethically, relationally, and with appropriate depth. The demonstration will highlight:

• Establishing a working alliance quickly and purposefully.
• Clarifying focus without oversimplifying complex material.
• Working effectively within time-limited encounters.
• Balancing authority, collaboration, and containment.

The demonstration will be followed by reflective commentary to support learning and integration.

Demonstration Volunteers

Participants who are interested in volunteering for the demonstration session are invited to contact Onlinevents in advance of the event.

Volunteers should bring a current issue that is appropriate for discussion within a learning context and be willing to explore this openly in front of peers. The demonstration will be recorded and made available within the Onlinevents Learning Library, accessible via password, as part of the event resources.

Learning Objectives Participants Can Expect From This Event

Participants can expect to:

• Develop an understanding of the historical roots of Single-Session Therapy.
• Explore the concept of ONEplus therapy and the single-session mindset.
• Reflect on how therapeutic change can occur within a single encounter.
• Observe a live demonstration of focused therapeutic work.
• Consider how these ideas may inform both brief and longer-term practice.

Who Is This Event For?

• This event is suitable for counsellors, psychotherapists, supervisors, educators, and trainees who are interested in Single-Session Therapy, brief approaches, or clinical flexibility. It will also appeal to practitioners who value theoretical depth alongside practice relevance.

No prior training in Single-Session Therapy is required.

How May This Event Impact Your Practice?

• This event offers an opportunity to deepen clinical confidence when working within time-limited or uncertain therapeutic contexts. Participants may find themselves better equipped to recognise the potential of a single meeting, strengthen early therapeutic alliances, and work more intentionally with focus and presence, regardless of the length of therapy offered.

RECORDING 

This event will be recorded and you can use the ticket function to pre-purchase the recording before the event. This will be useful for colleagues who are not able to attend the event live and also for those who attend the event live and want to watch it again.

ZOOM 

This event will be hosted on the Zoom meeting platform where we will use our cameras and microphones to interact with each other as a group.

SELF-SELECT FEE

The self-select fee is a radical inclusion policy to open learning for all colleagues. The guide price for this event is £20.00, however, we appreciate that income varies greatly in different locations and circumstances. Please contribute what you can to help us maintain inclusive professional training.

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At Onlinevents, we and the presenters we collaborate with are committed to working in a way that aligns with the ethical codes and frameworks of our respective professional organisations. We expect all colleagues attending our events to uphold the ethical principles of their professional membership.

If you are not a member of a professional organisation, we ask that you participate in a way that is both authentic and respectful, fostering a space of mutual learning and professional engagement.

By registering for this event, you agree to be present and interact in a manner that reflects these principles.

Windy Dryden

I am Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapeutic Studies at Goldsmiths University of London and have been working in the field of counselling and psychotherapy since 1975.

I was one of the first people in Britain to be trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and have trained with Drs. Albert Ellis, Aaron T. Beck and Arnold Lazarus.

I have also trained at the University of Warwick where I was awarded an MSc in Psychotherapy. This was an eclectic course and gave me a very broad view of the field. What has been important and sustaining in my career has been variety. Thus, I work as a practitioner, trainer, academic and writer/editor.

CBT Practice

I have worked as a therapist in many settings: including in private practice, in a GP practice, in a clinical psychology service and in private psychiatric hospitals.

CBT Training

I have been active in training counsellors and therapists since 1975 and have trained therapists in many countries including Britain, USA, South Africa, Turkey and Israel.

Academic

I began my career as an academic as Lecturer in Counselling at the University of Aston in Birmingham (1975-1984) and joined Goldsmiths University of London in 1985 where I became Britian’s first Professor of Counselling in 1992. I am now Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapeutic Studies at Goldsmiths and have held Visiting Professorships at University of Birmingham, University of East London, University of Westminster and London Metropolitan University. In 2005, I was awarded a DSc in Psychology at Babes-Bolyai University in Romania.

Writer and Editor

My first book was published in 1984 and I have now authored or edited over 230 books. I write for both the profession and for the general public. In addition, I have edited 20 book series and was, until 2012, the editor of the ‘Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy’.