ABSTRACT
Endings of consulting projects demarcate a critical transition from the joined, collaborative work of a consultant and a client to the client’s continued work alone on the issues that were the focus of the consultancy. Despite the importance of endings, they have not been the focus of study in consultation, especially in comparison to the literature on termination in psychotherapy, family therapy, and study of endings in groups. Given the aim of consultation to develop the competence of the client system to cope with the critical issues it faces, we need to understand the dynamics that surround endings to explore what forces may interfere with the effective follow-through on the results of a consultancy. This chapter draws on the endings literature in some other fields to suggest questions and issues for the ending of consulting projects. There is particular focus on final reports because they are unique to consultancies. Often final reports are used unconsciously by both consultant and client in a pairing dynamic that results in unrealistic hopes for the anticipated report and excessive disappointment when it is finally completed.
