Table of Contents
What is the final stage of therapy called?
The Termination Process. As the client’s time in therapy draws to a close, termination becomes the focus of sessions. Termination is a time to review the client’s achievements and reinforce plans for maintaining good mental health. But for most people, there will come a time when therapy no longer feels necessary or progress has stalled. In most cases, the client will choose to end therapy; there are also situations in which a therapist decides to end sessions and refer a client elsewhere. Formally, ending therapy is called “termination.” Not many people understand the relationship that is formed between a client and therapist. We are humans and we get attached, just like you do to us. There is a rapport that is built, a trust that is earned, a relationship built, and therefore a grief process that occurs with the loss of that relationship. Stopping therapy may be an option if you feel you have achieved all the goals you set and you’ve developed the skills to move on. You’ve learned how to manage your symptoms or have found a way to move through a challenge. This leaves both you and your therapist to work through feelings brought up by this ending alone – abrupt endings can cause residual feelings of regret, loss, resentment and rejection for both parties and working through these feelings alone can be incredibly challenging.
What is a final therapy session like?
A final therapy session can look many different ways depending on the therapist’s style and the type of treatment offered. Termination sessions often include reviewing the client’s treatment and the progress they have made over time, as well as how they will use the skills and insight they learned going forward. Psychotherapy notes, on the other hand, are not required, but many therapists use them as a way to conceptualize the case, document their own thoughts and feelings from each session, and list hypotheses to further explore in future sessions. It’s not uncommon for therapists to have feelings for clients, and vice versa—call it transference, countertransference, or something else. But we have to remember that it’s the therapist’s job to meet the client’s therapeutic needs and goals, not the therapist’s own personal or professional wants and needs. Therapists are human beings with emotions just like everyone else, and there are times when showing emotion in session can really help the client. One of the most important jobs a therapist has is to model a healthy interpersonal relationship, and there are no healthy interpersonal human relationships without emotion. In fact, therapy can be harmful, with research showing that, on average, approximately 10 per cent of clients actually get worse after starting therapy. Yet belief in the innocuousness of psychotherapy remains persistent and prevalent. The number of recommended sessions varies by condition and treatment type, however, the majority of psychotherapy clients report feeling better after 3 months; those with depression and anxiety experience significant improvement after short and longer time frames, 1-2 months & 3-4.
What are the five stages of therapy?
The basic stages of counseling are: 1) Developing the client/clinician relationship; 2) Clarifying and assessing the presenting problem or situation; 3) Identifying and setting counseling or treatment goals; 4) Designing and implementing interventions; and 5) Planning, termination, and follow-up. The Termination Process. As the client’s time in therapy draws to a close, termination becomes the focus of sessions. Termination is a time to review the client’s achievements and reinforce plans for maintaining good mental health. Research shows a generally high job satisfaction among the profession, but everyone can have bad days. Counseling is an emotionally taxing job and sometimes the clients’ problems can hit too close to home. With adequate self-care, however, counselors are happy (and happy to help). Therapist Job Responsibilities: Establishes positive, trusting rapport with patients. Diagnoses and treats mental health disorders. Creates individualized treatment plans according to patient needs and circumstances.