PROCESS OF
TERMINATION
DR. SUMAYA BATOOL
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY,
SU
Termination is the final stage of the counseling process but is not something that
should be broached during your last (or next to last) session with a client. Doing so
does not allow for the proper amount of time for counselor and client to process
what termination means, how the client will handle the conclusion of the
counseling relationship, and what follow-up contact or transitioning needs to
happen for the client. Termination should be among the first topics that you and
your client discuss. Kramer (1990) clearly articulates this when he writes: “the
therapist must be clear from the first contact, unless there are mitigating
circumstances, that the intent of treatment is to help the (client) function without
the therapist.” As a counselor, you are ethically bound to communicate to your
client how long you will be available to counsel them, to discuss openly the timeline
of your relationship, and to make appropriate referrals or recommendations at the
conclusion of your relationship. It is a stage of counseling that clients need to be
prepared for and counselors need to address early in the counseling process to
avoid abandonment.
Here are some helpful guidelines for effectively moving your clients toward termination:
•Remind clients of the approaching ending of the sessions with you. This should be done at least
2-3 sessions prior to the final one. This provides you an opportunity to ask clients to talk about
relationships that have ended in their past, how they have ended, and how that might affect the
end of this counseling relationship. You can also ask clients what they would like to focus on
during their remaining time with you. A question to ask prior to the final one, which may help to
prepare clients for the reality of the end, is “If this were our last meeting, how would that be for
you?”
•If you and your client are not limited to a certain number of sessions, you have the option of
spacing out your last few meetings. This is a good way to wean your client of the relationship
and foster in them a sense of confidence in their ability to handle things without seeing you on a
weekly basis before the relationship abruptly ends.
•Review the progress that you and the client have made during your sessions. Very often, clients
will forget the advances they have made, or neglect to give themselves credit for their
accomplishments. Doing this with them can instill confidence and provide them with a positive
perspective on what counseling helped them to do. Ask your clients what they learned, what
they intend to do with what they have learned, what they found helpful about their sessions
and how they felt about their participation in the process.
•Allow clients to talk about their feelings surrounding termination. They will likely have
many emotions to work through and time should be spent acknowledging and
processing them.
•Be aware of your own feelings surrounding the termination process. It is normal to feel
many emotions when ending a relationship with your clients. Acknowledge your feelings,
your ambivalence about termination, etc. Always keep in mind that your goal as a
counselor is to “put yourself out of business.” If you are good at what you do, people will
not need to continue to see you for help. They will have the tools to help themselves.
•If possible, have an open-door policy. Once termination has ended, clients may want to
return a few months or years later to refocus or to “check-in”. This is often impossible in
the training setting, but something to keep in mind for your professional career.
•Review the tools and skills that clients have acquired through the counseling process.
These tools will be critical in helping clients be self-sufficient in handling problems that
might have previously brought them to counseling. If there are additional resources that
you feel your client would benefit from for continued personal growth, make appropriate
referrals and make your client aware of them.
Allow clients to talk about their feelings surrounding termination. They will likely
have many emotions to work through and time should be spent acknowledging
and processing them.
Be aware of your own feelings surrounding the termination process. It is normal
to feel many emotions when ending a relationship with your clients.
Acknowledge your feelings, your ambivalence about termination, etc. Always
keep in mind that your goal as a counselor is to “put yourself out of business.” If
you are good at what you do, people will not need to continue to see you for
help. They will have the tools to help themselves.
If possible, have an open-door policy. Once termination has ended, clients may
want to return a few months or years later to refocus or to “check-in”. This is
often impossible in the training setting, but something to keep in mind for your
professional career.
Review the tools and skills that clients have acquired through the counseling
process. These tools will be critical in helping clients be self-sufficient in handling
problems that might have previously brought them to counseling. If there are
additional resources that you feel your client would benefit from for continued
personal growth, make appropriate referrals and make your client aware of
them.
TYPES OF TERMINATION
FORCED-TERMINATION
•Definition: Forced-termination is termination of the counseling relationship before the work of
therapy has been fully accomplished. This will be the most common type of termination that you
will face as a Masters student. As a counselor in training, your clients are individuals who have
typically been seeing someone else. You are given what you could call a rotation during which
you take over as their counselor, and upon your departure, the individual is transitioned back to
his or her regular therapist. In some situations, you may meet with clients who are not receiving
services because there are simply not enough professionals to offer service to meet the needs of
the site. In these situations, transition may not always be possible.
•Anticipated Reactions: Clients typically feel anger toward the counselor, perceiving the end of
the counseling relationship as abandonment. This may occur even if you make termination a
topic of conversation throughout your counseling sessions. It is most likely to occur if you do not
mention termination until very close to your intended departure from the relationship. Clients
may feel anxious at the thought of having to handle things on their own without the support
they have found in your relationship. Other reactions from clients might include sadness at losing
a relationship upon which they have come to depend, or indifference at the end of the
relationship. These emotions are oftentimes easier or more comfortable to express that anger or
separation anxiety. Always keep in mind that how other relationships in the client’s past have
ended will very likely affect his or her reaction to the end of your counseling relationship.
Unresolved issues surrounding past relationships can be played out in the termination process,
but if you handle the process ethically, sensitively, and honestly, you are in a wonderful position
to provide your client with a healthy end to a productive relationship that they can look back on
positively and feel comfortable with.
Counselors also experience many emotions when forced-termination occurs. Guilt is a very common
emotion for counselors to feel when they initiate the termination stage. Forced-termination, by its
very definition, means that the counseling relationship is ending prematurely. After spending so
much time encouraging your client to be trusting, open and honest, one must now abruptly sever
that connection. This can leave counselors feeling as though they are abandoning their clients just as
good progress could have been made and can lead to a sense of feeling responsible for whatever
might happen to the client as a result of the end of the relationship. For many counselors, a sense of
frustration exists at not having “finished the job” or achieved the goals set out by the counselor and
client. Counselors-in-training often struggle with a sense of omnipotence, or the feeling that they are
the only one who can understand or help the client. On the other hand, it is normal to feel a sense of
impotence, or the feeling that the relationship was not at all helpful to the client and that the client
will be helped more effectively by a different therapist. When working with a client for only a short
period of time, it can be difficult to see if any progress was made, especially if the client is not
communicating any improvements to the counselor. In such cases, it is important for counselors to
work to become comfortable with that feeling of “not knowing.” It may not be for some time that a
client himself realizes if and how a counselor has been of help. And as a counselor, you may never
know. Counselors may feel a sense of loss and sadness at not being able to see their clients anymore,
and other may feel a sense of relief. This relief often leads to guilt about being glad to move on from
the counseling situation. It is very important to acknowledge your own feelings as you proceed
through the termination stage of counseling.
CLIENT-INITIATED TERMINATION
•Definition: Client-Initiated Termination can occur in several situations. A client may
initiate termination when it is determined that the goals that he or she set out to
accomplish have been adequately met, or when he or she feels that problematic
symptoms have been reduced or eliminated. If the counselor agrees that goals have
been met and the timing for termination is appropriate, termination can be a
comfortable, pleasing experience for all involved. There may still be a sense of loss at
not seeing the client on a regular basis, but this is often outweighed by a sense of
happiness in knowing that the relationship was positive and productive and helped
the client make progress.
•Anticipated Reactions: In some cases, clients may initiate termination of the
relationship if they do not feel comfortable with the counselor or do not feel that
they are ready to fully engage in the counseling process. In such cases, counselors
often feel a sense of insecurity in their ability to effectively connect with and counsel
clients, guilt about “losing a client”, and possibly relief at being rid of a relationship
that they were uncomfortable with. In this case, it is very important for counselors to
process their own feelings about the end of the relationship and how it might affect
future interactions with clients.
COUNSELOR-INITIATED TERMINATION
•Definition: Counselor-Initiated Termination can occur when the counselor sees that the client
has made progress toward achieving goals, notices a reduction in or elimination of symptoms,
sees that the client has gained enough insight to deal with future recurring symptoms and has
resolved transference issues, and determines that the client has the ability to work, enjoy life
and play. Once the counselor has determined that there is little left to continue working on in
therapy, it is time to introduce the reality of termination to the client. Counselor-initiated
termination is also your ethical duty as a counselor if you determine “an inability to provide
professional service” to your client. If this is the case, it is your responsibility to make
appropriate referrals and to obtain the professional training that would enable you to work with
similar clients effectively in the future.
•Anticipated Reactions: Sometimes, clients will resist the termination process. After all, they
have enjoyed success, in part, due to a relationship with their counselor. Ending that
relationship can be frightening. The client may insist that more time is needed to work on the
issue(s). A plethora of additional problems may suddenly arise, and sessions may be missed to
draw out the process or avoid termination. The client may become suddenly angry at the
mention of termination in order to create distance between client and counselor, and, in some
cases, the client may prematurely end therapy of his or her own volition.
•Counselors may also resist the process. If a client has enjoyed success, in which you have
played a part, it is easy to want to maintain that relationship. As a counselor, you are receiving
positive feedback, feeling needed and appreciated, all of which provides you with confidence
and a sense of self-worth. Letting go of that to allow your client to function independently can
be difficult. It is important to recognize the positive work you do as a counselor, but this should
not lead to your maintaining a relationship that is no longer serving the client.
Positive Endings to the Counseling Relationship
One thing that is often appropriate to do for clients, particularly if you are at a school setting, is to leave
clients with something material that will remind them of your relationship and the successes they
experienced as a result of engaging in that relationship. There are many creative ways to do this.
Below you will find two suggestions for concluding individual counseling relationships:
MARBLES
Purchase a bag of marbles, filled with swirls that make each one different. You could give each client a marble and
communicate how they, like the marble, are unique and special. They can keep this marble with them to serve as a
reminder that someone thinks of them that way and as a reminder of their positive relationship with you and the
progress they made.
SURVIVAL KIT
Using a box, a Ziploc bag, or any other container you choose, select various items that represent something about that
client, or a lesson that the client learned through the counseling process. For example, a Life Saver candy could represent
the people for the client has been a “life saver” in the past. A rubber band could serve as a reminder of the importance
of being flexible. A toothpick could remind your client not to pick on him or herself for the little things. A Band-Aid could
represent the need to take time to heal wounds. A stick of Carefree gum could remind your client to take time out to play
and enjoy life. You get the drift. You can get creative with your Survival Kit and it is a great way to leave your client with
something tangible that reminds them of you and reinforces the skills you have worked on with them throughout your
relationship.
