ABSTRACT
In the same way that therapy sessions are enhanced by having strong, well-structured openings and closings, the course of therapy as a whole also benefi ts from a positive, well-planned beginning and ending. The merits of fi rmly orienting clients to CBT at the start of treatment was discussed in Chapter 2, and the current chapter will focus on the therapist competencies that are necessary to help clients attain a sense of mastery and hope as they approach and come to an agreeable conclusion of therapy— a conclusion in which the clients will feel a positive sense of resolution, and will be in a favorable position to maintain the gains they have achieved in therapy.
