Real stories: How OutSession transforms moments between therapy sessions

Therapy happens for one hour each week. Life happens for the other 167 hours. In those gaps between sessions, clients face moments of anxiety, difficult decisions, and overwhelming thoughts - precisely when they need their therapeutic tools most.

These are real stories from OutSession users (names changed, details anonymised) showing how personalised CBT tools transform those critical moments between therapy sessions.

Sarah's Story: Conquering Presentation Anxiety

Sarah, 29, marketing coordinator from Manchester

Sarah had been working with her therapist on managing work-related anxiety, particularly around presentations. Despite understanding cognitive distortions intellectually, she still felt paralysed when facing important meetings.

The Challenge: Three weeks into using OutSession, Sarah faced her biggest test yet - presenting quarterly results to senior leadership. The night before, familiar thoughts began spiralling: "They'll think I'm incompetent," "I don't know enough," "Everyone will see I'm a fraud."

How OutSession Helped: Instead of lying awake catastrophising, Sarah opened OutSession on her phone and generated a thought record for her specific situation. The tool guided her through identifying the emotional reasoning and mind reading she was experiencing, then helped her examine evidence for and against her anxious predictions.

The Insight: "The thought record showed me I was treating my assumptions as facts," Sarah explained. "When I saw it written out, I realised I'd never actually received negative feedback on presentations - quite the opposite. The tool helped me remember specific positive comments from colleagues I'd completely forgotten about."

The Outcome: The next morning, Sarah felt nervous but not paralysed. The presentation went well, and in her following therapy session, she and her therapist discussed how to build on this success. "It wasn't magic," Sarah noted, "but having that perspective shift exactly when I needed it made all the difference."

Marcus's Story: A Major Life Decision

Marcus, 34, teacher from Birmingham

Marcus had been in therapy working through relationship patterns and attachment issues. When his partner of two years suggested moving in together, he found himself stuck between excitement and terror.

The Challenge: Marcus spent weeks oscillating between "This is perfect" and "This will end in disaster." His therapist was away for a fortnight, and the decision deadline was approaching. Marcus felt trapped by his own indecision.

How OutSession Helped: Using the pros and cons worksheet, Marcus systematically explored both sides of the decision. Unlike the endless mental loops he'd been stuck in, the structured format helped him examine specific concerns rather than vague fears.

The Insight: "The worksheet revealed something interesting," Marcus shared. "Most of my 'cons' were actually about fear of vulnerability, not about my partner or our relationship. The tool helped me separate realistic concerns from old patterns."

The Outcome: Marcus didn't immediately say yes, but he gained clarity about what he needed to discuss with his partner. When his therapist returned, they used Marcus's worksheet as a starting point for deeper work on intimacy fears. "I went from paralysed to purposeful," he explained. "The decision became about addressing my patterns, not avoiding them."

Priya's Story: Navigating Social Anxiety

Priya, 26, graphic designer from London

Priya had been working on social anxiety with her therapist, particularly around workplace friendships. She often felt excluded but struggled to distinguish between perception and reality.

The Challenge: When colleagues organised after-work drinks without directly inviting her, Priya's mind immediately concluded: "They don't like me," "I'm boring," "I'll never fit in here."

How OutSession Helped: Feeling hurt and isolated, Priya used the perspectives worksheet to explore alternative viewpoints. The tool prompted her to consider other possible explanations for the situation.

The Insight: "The perspectives exercise opened up possibilities I hadn't considered," Priya explained. "Maybe they assumed I wouldn't be interested because I'd declined previous invitations. Maybe they forgot. Maybe there was no malicious intent at all."

The Outcome: Instead of withdrawing, Priya approached a colleague the next day and casually mentioned the drinks. It turned out they'd assumed she had evening plans based on previous conversations. She was immediately invited to the next gathering. "It wasn't about them rejecting me," Priya realised. "It was about my assumptions creating the very isolation I feared."

James's Story: Family Conflict Resolution

James, 42, accountant from Leeds

James had been in therapy addressing family dynamics, particularly tension with his elderly father. Their relationship had become increasingly strained, with every conversation seeming to end in argument.

The Challenge: During a particularly difficult phone call about his father's healthcare, James felt the familiar anger rising. His father was being stubborn about accepting help, and James found himself preparing for another unproductive argument.

How OutSession Helped: Before responding, James used multiple OutSession tools. First, a thought record to examine his anger. Then a perspectives worksheet to consider his father's viewpoint. Finally, a pros and cons analysis of different approaches to the conversation.

The Insight: "The tools helped me see I was approaching Dad like a problem to solve rather than a person with valid concerns," James reflected. "The perspectives exercise particularly helped me understand his fear of losing independence."

The Outcome: James called his father back with a completely different approach, acknowledging his concerns about autonomy whilst gently exploring practical solutions. The conversation was their most productive in months. "I didn't fix everything," James noted, "but I finally felt like we were talking to each other, not past each other."

Lisa's Story: Workplace Pressure

Lisa, 38, NHS administrator from Glasgow

Lisa had been working with her therapist on managing work stress and perfectionist tendencies. The COVID aftermath had intensified pressures in her NHS role, and she often felt overwhelmed by competing demands.

The Challenge: During a particularly chaotic week, Lisa faced impossible deadlines whilst short-staffed. She found herself working 12-hour days, convinced that anything less would mean "letting people down" and being "completely useless."

How OutSession Helped: Recognising her all-or-nothing thinking, Lisa used OutSession's thought record during her lunch break. The tool helped her examine the evidence for her catastrophic predictions about missing deadlines.

The Insight: "The worksheet helped me see I was treating every task as equally urgent," Lisa explained. "When I actually looked at the evidence, most deadlines had flexibility I wasn't seeing because of my anxiety."

The Outcome: Lisa prioritised genuinely urgent tasks and communicated realistic timelines for others. Rather than the disaster she predicted, her manager appreciated her honest assessment and adjusted expectations accordingly. "I learned that perfectionism wasn't protecting anyone - it was actually making me less effective," she noted.

The Common Thread

These stories share something important: OutSession didn't provide miracle cures or dramatic transformations. Instead, it offered something more valuable - the right support at the right moment.

Each person used their existing therapeutic knowledge in a new way. They applied CBT principles they'd learned in therapy to real-time situations, gaining insights that informed their ongoing therapeutic work.

As one user put it: "OutSession doesn't replace my therapist - it helps me be a better therapy client. I come to sessions with actual examples of using the techniques, not just talking about wanting to use them."

That's the gap OutSession fills - not replacing professional support, but extending it into the moments when it's needed most.

If you're a therapist interested in learning how OutSession could support your clients between sessions, or a client curious about accessing your therapeutic tools when you need them most, we'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading,

Dan