ABSTRACT
Prepare Client for Termination Eventually the treatment process ends. Termination is an event that may or may not have been planned, and the process of treatment may or may not have been successful. But termination is much more than an event; it is also a process. It is a process of ending a relationship focused on support and change, and this process can be a source of significant healing and growth for many clients. Facilitating this process and making it a positive experience is the therapist’s primary role in the last phase of treatment. The basic task of this phase is to provide clients the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings about what therapy and the therapist have meant to them. Preparing for termination is a time to review the client’s progress in achieving treatment goals. It is also a time to plan for maintaining treatment gains and for the inevitable lapses that may ensue. Finally, preparing for termination is a time to reflect about what remaining therapeutic tasks the client might work on in the future and what additional therapeutic contact with you or other therapies might be indicated.
