Single Session Thinking
Practical skills for focused, effective sessions
What is Single Session Thinking?
Single Session Thinking (SST) is a practice framework that helps workers make the most of the first session—recognising it may be the only session a client attends.
SST supports purposeful, client‑led conversations by treating each contact as complete in itself, while still allowing for ongoing work if the client wants it.
The benefits of Single Session Thinking
- Clients experience focused, respectful support that addresses their key concerns.
- Practitioners gain a flexible framework for effective, strengths‑based practice.
- Services benefit from improved accessibility and reduced waiting lists.
SST is a practical, evidence‑informed approach that supports meaningful outcomes—one conversation at a time.
Who is this relevant too?
Professionals, including counsellors, therapists, case managers, team leaders and managers who are interested in understanding and/or applying an SST approach. This can either be applied in their individual clinical practice or as a treatment modality within their agency
Learning options
Please select the learning options below to find out more and start your SST learning journey.
Single Session Thinking - Self-paced online
CPD hours: 7
Learning outcomes
On completion of SST, you will have an understanding of:
- The history, development and theory of SST
- How to translate SST into practice
- The SST practice guidelines
- How an SST session unfolds, including pre- and post-session events
- How to implement SST into your own practice and/or organisation
Course Modules
- Module 1: Introduces SST
- Module 2: Translates SST into practice
- Module 3: Unpacks the practice principles and techniques of SST
- Module 4: Provides a simulated video example of SST in action, from start to finish, from intake to follow-up
- Module 5: Provides references and tools to aid and support implementation of SST into practice, in your work and
Register now for Single Session Thinking
Single Session Thinking in Practice
This implementation workshop is designed to consolidate your SST knowledge and enhance the application of these ideas in your clinical practice.
This implementation workshop is designed to consolidate your SST knowledge and enhance the application of these ideas in your clinical practice.
This half-day workshop is the practice companion to The Bouverie Centre’s Single Session Thinking (SST) self-paced online course. This training is designed to consolidate your SST knowledge and enhance the application of these ideas in your clinical practice.
SST involves approaching the first session as if it will be the last . This aims to make the most of every encounter whilst fostering a client-led approach to identifying what is helpful and when further help is no longer needed. This skill-building workshop aims to ready you for applying SST within your work context.
What Will You Learn
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Consolidate your knowledge of what SST is
- Deepen understanding of SST attitudes and skills, and how these can influence the work you do
- Begin applying SST techniques, including the SST Map to lend structure to your work
- Consider factors that will enable or constrain the integration of SST into your everyday practice.
Prior knowledge
Completion of The Bouverie Centre’s Single Session Thinking self-paced online suite in the last 12 months.
Who should attend
SST in Practice is relevant for those who would like further opportunities for skills practice and the exploration of ideas for embedding SST into their work.
SST is applicable to a wide range of settings and work roles including mental health practitioners, case managers, therapists, and support workers, and has been utilised in a range of sectors, including:
- Health and mental health,
- Family services and family violence services,
- Education,
- AOD services
Workshop Style
This implementation-focussed workshop emphasises putting ideas into practice and is designed to help you use SST in your work context. To achieve this we extend key points from the self-paced online modules by attending to the “clinician-client” relationship, use reflective processes, small group activities and case discussions.
Register now for Single Session Thinking in Practice
For group or organisation purchases
We offer bulk purchase discounts for organisations and groups bookings, please email bouverie.training@latrobe.edu.au for more information.
Training at Your Workplace
We can customise this training to the needs of your team and deliver it to your workplace. See here for more information.
Expression of Interest
Submit our expression of interest form to be notified of future offerings of this workshop and related professional development opportunities.
Learn to adapt Single Session Thinking principles to working with families with children aged 5–17 years.
Narrated by clinical child psychologist Professor Jenn McIntosh, Single Session Thinking: Families with Children and Youth (SST FCY) builds upon the learnings of the self-paced online course, Single Session Thinking (SST).
In SST FCY, you will have the opportunity to learn to adapt SST principles to working with families with children, aged 5–17 years, who present with behavioural, social, and emotional difficulties. The content will draw on the current peer-reviewed research on childhood internalising and externalising conditions. On a practical level, this course shows ways in which you can incorporate a single session approach into family work with children present in the room.
You can expect interviews with leading family therapists and resources to help you implement these practices in your work. The program also features clinical insights from Karen Story and Dr. Paul Denborough, leading practitioners in this space.
Watch this ‘sneak peek’ to learn more about the course. Click to view the video.
Format | Self-paced online, available 24/7 |
CPD | 5 CPD hours |
Purchase Single Session Thinking: Families with Children and Youth now
Prior Learning
Single Session Thinking is recommended as a precursor to this training.
Course Modules
- Module 1: Be introduced to SST and its underpinnings in family therapy and systems thinking, and learn about the rationale, family and service benefits, and evidence for SST FCY
- Module 2: Build your foundations of SST FCY using Family Systems Theory and techniques, and develop the skills for applying SST to work with families in the childhood years
- Module 3: Use the research evidence on childhood mental health disorders to support SST with families
- Module 4: Learn to have meaningful engagement with children, adolescents and their families and pick up practical strategies and tools for working with them in a session
- Module 5: Hear Bouverie therapists reflect on working with families with children and adolescents and find out how you can make the most of a single conversation
What will you learn?
On completion of SST FCY, you will have an understanding of:
- The foundations of SST
- How to apply SST to work with families with children and youth
- Use the mental health research evidence to support SST working with families
- How to engage young people – with SST-friendly strategies and resources
Relevant Audience
A diverse range of practitioners working in the child and adolescent mental health field.
Related Training
Single Session Thinking: Families with Children and Youth in Practice is the practice companion to the self-paced online training. It builds on the online self-paced module and is aimed to bring together concepts from working with the whole family with children and young people within a Single Session framework. Applicable for practitioners in the child and adolescent field, it has a focus on how to include parents and carers to adopt a whole of family approach for better outcomes.