Sessions usually last 50 minutes to an hour.

If you’ve ever scheduled a therapy session or considered doing so, you may have noticed that most appointments are around 50 minutes to an hour long. This standard timeframe—often called the “therapeutic hour”—has been a common practice in the mental health field for decades. But why exactly is this the norm?

The Origin of the 50-Minute Session

The 50-minute session format was originally popularized by Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. This structure allowed enough time for deep therapeutic work while leaving the therapist with time between clients to:

• Take notes
• Reflect on the session
• Prepare for the next client
• Handle administrative tasks

Over time, this model proved both effective and practical, and it became the widely accepted standard in psychotherapy.

Why Not a Full Hour—or Longer?

While an hour may seem like a round number, 50 minutes offers the ideal balance between depth and manageability:

• It provides ample time for the client to open up, explore thoughts and emotions, and work through challenges.
• It allows the therapist to maintain focus and emotional presence throughout the day, especially when seeing multiple clients.
• It builds a consistent rhythm, helping clients mentally and emotionally prepare for each session.

Longer sessions may sometimes be used for more intensive therapy (e.g., couples counseling, trauma work, or crisis intervention), but for general talk therapy, 50 minutes is considered optimalWhat Happens in a 50-Minute Session?

A typical session might include:

• A brief check-in on the client’s current mood or recent events
• Discussion of ongoing concerns, symptoms, or progress
• Goal-setting or reflection on coping strategies
• Planning for the upcoming week or assigning therapeutic exercises

While the session may feel short at times, the consistency of regular meetings allows meaningful progress to build over time.