ABSTRACT
Despite the spate of papers in the last thirty years on the topic of termination, the ending of treatment for adults and children remains an area of difficulty and conceptual controversy. This seems especially true in regard to termination work with parents. It is important for the analyst to acknowledge internally and explicitly that the parents and the therapist have a deep and significant bond. Some tolerate parent work throughout the child's treatment, apply what is worked on, and show great gains. The time after finishing cannot strictly be considered a phase of treatment, yet all the preceding work has been aimed at enhancing later functioning in parents and children, and a specific goal of treatment has been to equip them to continue working and growing on their own. Occasionally a parent shows great empathy during the termination phase for the analyst's loss when treatment finishes.
