ABSTRACT
The date of ending for some groups is determined at the outset. The number of sessions or the length of time that the group will run for is established before the group begins. In other groups termination is expected to occur upon completion of a particular task or whenever it is decided that members have achieved their goals and objectives. However, there are other situations where a group does not coalesce, there is a heavy
loss or turnover of members, or workers may leave the group and termination can occur. I am not referring to these instances when I discuss ending of the group in this section. I want to look at the natural and planned termination of the group and the separation issues that are part of this stage. The approach of termination is a psychic shock which group members react to
according to their preferred method of coping with anxiety. The group is finishing, and the basic issue for members is how to handle separation with least personal discomfort. Members look for ways of avoiding or denying the reality that their group is to end, and when this fails to work may regress to previous states of group disorganization. At the same time that members are trying to avoid the ending of the group, there is a
growing acknowledgement of the finality of termination and a willingness to face and accomplish it. However, right up until the final moment there may well be a strong tension between these two desires that can manifest in a wide variety of confused and contradictory behaviour. There are a number of themes to look out for in the final stages.
