ABSTRACT
The phase of group psychotherapy, although essential to the group process and to the outcome for members, has arguably been ignored. Most research has addressed premature termination, also called "discontinuation" of group psychotherapy, rather than how to terminate a completed group, or what adds to an effective termination. Members will have many different feelings about terminations and group leaders need to be aware that gender, culture, age, and other life experiences may reflect how members think or feel about termination. One of the advantages of group therapy over individual therapy is the richness of the similarities and of diverse viewpoints. Group members often consider or imagine meeting after the group has terminated. Jacobs et al. describe this exercise as a reunion fantasy. Each member is asked to think about what they are telling group members about their life and their achievements.
