What Can I Do In Between Therapy Sessions?

Therapy is often seen as something that begins and ends within the session. But in reality, the work you do outside the therapy room can be just as powerful as what happens during the hour itself.

As an integrative counsellor, I believe in meeting each person where they are and drawing from a range of approaches to support your unique process. One common thread in every therapeutic journey, however, is that growth unfolds over time, especially in the space between sessions.

In this post, I’ll share some practical suggestions for what you can do in between therapy sessions to enhance your experience.

In Between Therapy Sessions

Therapy is a space for insight, connection, and exploration but further change can happen when you apply insights in daily life.  It can be helpful to think of therapy as a catalyst. The way you reflect between sessions can expand and reinforce what happens in therapy sessions. You don’t need to work on yourself constantly but gentle curiosity about experiences between sessions can be useful.

Keep a Therapy Journal

A notebook, notes app, or voice memo can help capture reflections between sessions. You don’t need to write every day. It might feel helpful to just jot down what stood out, what you’re feeling, or any questions that arise. You can bring any reflections into sessions, too.

Some prompts for these notes could include:

• “Today I noticed…” – a thought, behaviour, emotion or event that felt significant

• “This reminded me of something from my past…” – this can support curiosity about past experiences and their influence on the present

• “When that happened I felt…” – giving yourself space to look at feelings outside of therapy might be uncomfortable but can also be helpful
  

Practice What You’re Learning

If we explore grounding, boundaries, or self-talk in session, try practicing in small ways during the week. Real-life practice helps new patterns form and you can use sessions to reflect on barriers or how it is working for you.

Notice Patterns

Many of us exist as a series of patterns that often go unnoticed, therapy is a great space to recognise these. But we can also reflect on this in between sessions to see if we discover anything new. Consider these questions and see if any patterns emerge:

• “When did I feel emotionally reactive this week?”

• “What situations made me feel good/bad/neutral this week?”

• “What happened this week that feels familiar?”

• “How have I shown up in this relationship this week?”

  
  

Do Something Else!

We can spend a lot of time trying to process things by thinking and this can serve us but not everything needs to be processed intellectually. Sometimes your mind and body just need space to absorb. Gentle walks, creative outlets, or simply doing nothing can help your nervous system settle. Mindful activities that are not about addressing difficulties can support you, too. There doesn’t need to be a constant pushing of yourself to think.

Be Kind to Yourself

It’s easy to fall into a perfectionist mindset, thoughts like “I should be further along by now” can emerge. Therapy is not a race. It’s a process of unlearning, healing, and becoming. You’re not doing it wrong if it’s taking time.

Conclusion

Therapy is a broader process than what happens during sessions. When you can find ways to begin integrating experiences in therapy into your life outside of it, you may find that therapy feels more helpful. Being open to try different ways of reflecting and practicing in between sessions can support movement. It's okay if this feels like a lot of hard work, it's not easy to be a human and to try to change things in our lives. Showing up as you are and doing your best is all that is needed.