A method, apparatus, and system for negotiating a session between an access terminal (AT) and an access network (AN) that can simplify a repeated negotiation procedure when the session is configured/updated/deleted between the AT and the AN. The AN performs protocol-by-protocol negotiations with the AT for a session configuration. The AN sends, to the AT, a soft configuration complete message including a continue bit indicating if another session configuration is added. The AN and the AT store a negotiated session configuration mapped to a personality index indicated in the message. When all session configurations have been completed, the AN and the AT determine if a session configuration currently in use has been changed. If the session configuration in use has not been changed, the AT and the AN maintain a physical channel. Moreover, the AN sends information indicating if a specific session configuration is applied after session configuration negotiation is completed.