Pillar 3: How Therapy Works / E-E-A-T
What Your Therapist Does Between Sessions: The Work You Don’t See
3 min read
Your 50 minutes are just the tip of the iceberg.
After you leave or hang up, as the case may be.
You close your laptop after your session. You feel lighter, heavier, or both.
Then you go back to work, to family, to traffic, to life.
But what happens on the therapist’s side?
Does your therapist just forget you until next Tuesday at 4pm?
Not at all.
In Nigeria, many people think therapy is just "talk for 1 hour and collect money". The truth is, a lot of the real work happens between sessions.
Here’s what your therapist is actually doing when you’re not in the room. And why it matters for your healing.
Myth vs Reality
Myth: Therapists see you for 50 minutes and that’s it.
Reality: For every 1 hour with you, most ethical therapists spend 15-30 minutes working for you outside the session.
Think of it like a doctor. The consultation is 10 minutes. But they spent time reviewing your file, test results, and treatment plan before and after.
Therapy is the same. Documentation, planning, and follow-up are part of professional care. It’s in our code of ethics.
The 6 Things Therapists Do Between Sessions
1. Write Clinical Notes and Track Your Progress
Within 24 hours of your session, your therapist writes notes. Not "gossip". Clinical notes.
They document:
What you talked about, what coping skills you tried, what seemed to help, what triggered you, and the plan for next time.
Why it matters:
This is how we remember details 3 weeks later. "Last time you said your uncle called about money and it ruined your week."
It’s also how we track if you’re getting better. Are panic attacks reducing? Is sleep improving?
In Nigeria, where therapists may see 15-20 clients, notes keep your story safe, clear, and confidential.
2. Review and Plan Your Treatment
Your therapist is asking: "What’s the next step for this client?"
Between sessions we:
Review the tools we gave you. Did the breathing exercise work during that family meeting? Should we try grounding instead?
Read or research. If you’re dealing with grief, workplace burnout, or panic attacks, we refresh ourselves on the latest, most effective approaches.
Set goals. "Next session let’s practice the boundary scripts we discussed and check how it went."
Therapy is not a random gist. It’s a plan. And that plan is built carefully between sessions.
3. Prepare Resources Just For You
Ever gotten a voice note, PDF, or YouTube link from your therapist after a session? That didn’t happen by accident.
Between sessions we:
Find articles, worksheets, or videos that match exactly what you’re going through
Draft journal prompts or homework that fit your Nigerian context. Not copy-paste from Google
Look for support groups, NGOs, or helplines in Nigeria that can help you
Example: If you’re struggling with stress and anxiety, your therapist may send you 3 scripts to practice and a stress tracker before your next session.
This is personalized care. Not generic "just pray about it" advice.
4. Consult With Other Professionals
Good therapists don’t do this alone. And we shouldn’t.
Clinical Supervision: We talk to supervisors or colleagues about tough cases. No names, no identifying details.
It’s like doctors doing a case review. It ensures you get the best care.
Especially with heavy topics like trauma, suicidal thoughts, or complex family issues, we debrief so we can show up fully for you and not miss anything.
This is a sign of a professional, not a weakness.
5. Practice Our Own Self-Care
Here’s something people don’t know: therapists also need therapy.
Listening to pain all day is heavy. So between clients, we walk, pray, journal, exercise, or see our own therapist.
A therapist who is burned out, anxious, or numb can’t help you heal.
You deserve a therapist who is well. So we protect our own mental health too. That’s part of the work between sessions.
6. Handle Logistics and Safety Planning
The unglamorous but important stuff:
Responding to messages within professional boundaries. "I got your message. Let’s discuss this on Tuesday"
Scheduling, invoicing, reminders, and following up on missed sessions
Safety planning. If you shared you were in crisis, we make a note to check in and have emergency resources and helplines ready
We are literally holding your case in mind, ethically and professionally, even when we’re not talking.
What Therapists DON’T Do Between Sessions
Let’s clear this up too, because boundaries protect both of us.
We don’t become your 24/7 friend. We won’t be texting all day or being available at 2am. That’s not therapy, that’s dependence. And it hurts you long term.
We don’t share your story. Everything is confidential, except in cases of danger to you or others. That’s law, ethics, and basic human respect.
We don’t make decisions for you. We prepare tools and options, but you do the work in your life. We can’t live it for you.
Why This Matters For You in Nigeria
Therapy already has a stigma here. "Na oyinbo thing". "Just go and pray".
When you know what happens behind the scenes, 2 things change:
Trust increases. You realize this is professional work, not vibes.
You take it more seriously. If your therapist is preparing, you can prepare too. Do the homework. Try the skill. Track your mood.
Healing doesn’t happen only in the session. It happens in the 167 hours between sessions.
How This Should Make You Feel
Knowing this, I hope 2 things happen:
You feel less alone. Someone is thinking about your healing, praying for you, and planning for you even when you’re not talking.
You feel more empowered. Because we’re doing our part, you can do yours. That’s how change happens.
Therapy is a partnership. 50 minutes together + 7 days of you practicing = real progress.
The Work Continues
The next time you log off a session, know this:
Your therapist is closing your file, making notes, planning your next step, and rooting for you.
But the biggest work still happens with you. Between sessions is where you test the tools, set the boundaries and notice the [signs of anxiety and depression signs getting smaller.
You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to do it. One day at a time. Book a session here.