ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the counter transference reactions to termination, and the goal and tasks involved in termination. It discusses four different ways in which treatment may end, initiated by the client or by the clinician, in a planned or unplanned way. Treatment termination is often unplanned and occurs before some or all of the treatment goals have been reached. The goal of termination is to create an ending that is less traumatic than the client's prior experiences of separation and loss and that honors the client's way of managing loss. There are a number of tasks to be accomplished during the ending of treatment and different ways of organizing the termination process. Accomplishing the goal and tasks of the termination is relatively straightforward in a planned ending. The chapter addresses some of the termination tasks before the final session, since some clients will miss the final scheduled session.
