ABSTRACT
Issues pertaining to concluding therapy have traditionally received less emphasis in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) than in psychodynamic psychotherapy. The challenges of concluding therapy have received relatively little attention in the CBT literature. Child and parent should both be clear from the start that CBT is a time-limited therapy. Furthermore, that time limit is not necessarily dependent on the child's progress. If lack of progress inevitably resulted in an extension of therapy, this would create a considerable incentive to avoid progress, which would undermine the therapy. Most child CBT includes some acknowledgment of the child's successful conclusion or graduation from therapy during the final session. In group therapies, there is a party-like atmosphere, with extra food or extra time for games or socializing relative to the other sessions. Anxiety around termination in children and adults often relates to the fear that once therapy concludes the therapist will suddenly disappear from their lives, dropping their case like the proverbial hot potato.
