ABSTRACT
This chapter talks about purpose to the therapy sessions—collaboratively working with clients to get toward their goals. It explores how to terminate therapy. Goal setting is the process of therapist and client working together to determine the purpose of the therapeutic encounter. Clients come to therapy for a reason—there are things in their life that they want different. Once the goals have been met, or the client is on the path to reach their goals, termination in therapy can occur. Termination is the ending of the therapeutic relationship. There are mainly two types of termination: client-initiated and therapist-initiated. Client-initiated termination occurs when the client decides to end therapy and the therapist does not agree. It may occur for many reasons, including the client not being connected in the therapeutic alliance, feeling overwhelmed by what is being discussed, or for financial or a variety of other reasons. Therapist-initiated termination happens when the therapist ends the therapeutic contract.
