How To Terminate With A Client In Therapy

How To Terminate With A Client In Therapy

How To Terminate With A Client In Therapy – Therapy should ideally have clear and specific goals. When the client you are seeing achieves their goals, it then becomes appropriate to steer the client towards an eventual end. For example if your client comes to you suffering from anxiety and its effect when the clients have worked to the point where they feel that they are in a position where the symptoms are at a point where they can manage, then a mutual agreement between the therapist and client should be arranged to help the therapy come to an end.

When it is agreed by the both of you that it is time to move on, both therapist and client might have mixed feelings over this, the client has formed a trusting and close relationship with the therapist, so it is very important to be warm and supportive, but also to set out clear boundaries, making the end a positive event and not something sadness, the client should be reassured that they are and will always be welcomed back if they ever feel the need for help in the future.

There should be reflection on the growth the client has made and the continued growth they can go on to make, emphasising what it is that they have done so well and how much they have been able to change in the time that you have been together.

Discuss any feeling of anxiety or sadness the client might have about the ending and turn them into positives, review all the tools that the client now has at their disposal and how well that they are now equipped to handle whatever comes their way, also exploring how they are already using the strategies learnt together, detailing how far they have come and encouraging them in how far they could get if they carry on, empowering them in moving forward independently.

Leaving the door open can be a very powerful way to help the clients feel secure within their decision, this is something I always do, I always tell my client that I will leave them an open calendar, that way they always have a safety net, so if down the road they feel that they need a top up for whatever reason then they know that this is ok.