How Long Should a Therapy Session Last?

Parents often ask us, how long should a Therapy session last? What is the difference between a 30-minute, 45-minute, or 60-minute therapy session? What about therapy sessions that are even longer?

  • Transitioning in and out of the clinic

We, at our Symbiosis clinics, have been doing 60-minute therapy sessions (on an average). The main reason we do this is that many of our clients have a difficult time transitioning in and out of the clinic. If we are doing a 30-minute session, and the child has transitional difficulties, we may not get much time to work in the session.

  • Child’s involvement in an activity and interruption

Sometimes a child gets very involved in an activity and wants to stay longer to finish it, which we’re not able to do in a 30-minute therapy session. And then, of course, if the activity has to be interrupted before they’re ready, they’re probably going to have another problematic transition time!

  •  Practice time and flexibility

We prefer the longer therapy sessions that allow a child time to transition and more time to spend in activities that they might want to stick to for a little longer. Shorter sessions do not give us much of the wiggle room we need when a child struggles in an area and may have to repeat it two or three times.

Our philosophy is that if we do more in longer session time, the child will take a shorter time period, in the long run, to show improvement and the child will also have the time to make better progress in each session.

 For more questions about our therapy treatment sessions, please give us a call or email us at [email protected]

Shalini Das

Director, Board Certified Behavior Analyst,Occupational Therapist

Shalini is one of the co-founders of Symbiosis Pediatric Therapy. She currently oversees the clinical and administrative departments of Symbiosis. Shalini has more than 25 years of experience working with children with autism and developmental disabilities.

Shalini completed her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy specializing in Pediatric Neurology in 2000. She also has her Masters degree in Special Education with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis from The Pennsylvania State University.Shalini is listed in the RASP list as a Behavior Consultant and an Occupational Therapist.

Shalini has extensive clinical experience with assessment and program development that is designed to treat challenging behaviors, build communication, and functional life skills. Some of the team-based intervention which she incorporates are the Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), SCERTS, DIR®/Floor time model, etc.

Shalini has trained & supervised several teams of therapists, parents, and other professionals on evidence-based behavioral strategies to improve the quality of life for the children. She also assists with the development and implementation of evidence-based treatment approaches, in addition to providing clinical guidance and mentorship to the Behavioral intervention team.

Shalini is certified to administer the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) from the University of Southern California and in Neuro-Developmental Therapy (NDT) from NDT Association, USA. She also enjoys working with children in Symbiosis embracing different therapy models while viewing the challenges faced by the children through the developmental framework.

Shalini is the mother of two children and understands the importance of considering the needs and wants of all members of the family when establishing therapy goals. She spends her spare time with her children and husband, reading, traveling, and cooking different recipes from around the world.