During a therapy session you have the space to talk about your emotions and stressors, confront your problems, and be provided with helpful feedback to support positive changes. The time spent in a therapy session can feel empowering, but this is only a small portion of your week. There are 168 hours in a week, less than one of those hours are spent in therapy. A common misconception is that attending your weekly therapy sessions is all that is needed, but the time in between therapy sessions also holds an important space to continue to progress. So the real question is, what do you do in the time in between therapy sessions? While there is not an exact science or formula that is guaranteed to work, the following are helpful tips and ideas to help you in between sessions.

• Think about your session: Sometimes a lot can be discussed throughout your therapy session, and it can be difficult to absorb all the information. Take a few moments after your session to reflect on what was accomplished and to identify any takeaway messages that you should be aware of. You might even continue to do this throughout the week! For some, taking notes during reflection can also be beneficial!

• Practice, practice, practice: Take note of what your therapist has suggested would be beneficial in managing your emotions and thoughts then put them into practice. Take the time to practice the skills and techniques that were discussed throughout your session. While learning the skills is important, it is even more beneficial to practice them in your daily living so you can work on your goals. This can also help you begin to recognize what works and what doesn’t. It is important to take note of skills that may not be working and then to share this with your therapist in your next session. Being honest in what doesn’t seem to be working helps to continue collaboration in developing alternative skills.

• Take notes or journal: Have you ever had a good day and then sat down with your therapist to realize you can’t remember what it is you wanted to talk about? Almost as if anything negative that happened over the week is not even coming to mind? It can be difficult to remember everything that happened in a span of a week, but some of these events and emotions may be important to process in a session. If you find yourself to be struggling with this, take time to keep up with a journal or even just notes reflecting feelings, thoughts, and events that may have come up throughout the week. You can either review this prior to a session or even read it with your therapist during a session.

• Practice self-care: Therapy sessions have the potential to bring up repressed emotions, difficult topics, or even past trauma; this can be seemingly difficult and could leave lingering feelings or struggles following the session. If you find yourself having some struggles following a therapy session it is important to engage in self-care techniques to make sure you continue to care for yourself in between sessions. Additionally, if you find yourself with increased struggles after sessions it is important to be honest with your therapist so you can work together on developing healthy coping skills or self-care activities to put into practice.

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