What to Know About Therapy Termination

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDifferent Reasons to Terminate TherapyCommon Concerns About Terminating TherapyHow to Know It’s Time to Terminate TherapyWhen Termination Is Not The Right OptionWhat Does a Final Session Look Like?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Different Reasons to Terminate Therapy

Common Concerns About Terminating Therapy

How to Know It’s Time to Terminate Therapy

When Termination Is Not The Right Option

What Does a Final Session Look Like?

Intherapy, when a client stops coming to their current therapist for sessions, this is known as “termination.” “Termination” refers to the end of the therapeutic relationship and can mean that the client will no longer receive therapy, will transition to another therapist, or is taking a break and may return in the future.

Termination can occur quickly if a client’s needs change or the therapist is suddenly unable to practice, or it can include discussion for several sessions.

In some cases, the client comes specifically for short-term therapy (for example, if they are using anEmployee Assistance Programthat only allows a set number of sessions), and the client and therapist discuss termination from the first session.

All therapy relationships come to an end at some point, so it can be helpful to understand how this process can look and what it means to terminate therapy.

Two main ways that therapy termination occurs are when the client is going to stop receiving therapy or when the client will continue to receive services through a different provider. There are many reasons why both types of termination occur.

If a client is terminating with one therapist and will continue to see a different provider, the reasons for this include:

Reasons why a client might terminate therapy completely include:

Change is often anxiety-provoking, and the end of a relationship can bring up many different feelings. Termination in therapy is no exception to this rule.

You Feel Anxious About Starting Over

If a client is transitioning to a new therapist, they might be worried that they will not connect with the new therapist. They might have anxiety about “starting over” with the therapy relationship. It takes time to build trust with a new therapist, just like it probably took time to build trust with the previous therapist.

In many cases, the terminating therapist can provide a referral to someone that they trust and know will be able to help.

You’re Worried About the Efficacy of a Different Treatment

If a client is transitioning to a differenttype of care, they might be worried that the unfamiliar treatment will not be effective. No intervention or method of treatment is right for everyone, and it is possible that even a treatment that has helped others with similar symptoms will not help someone else.

Talk with your therapist about what your options are if you feel that the new therapy is not the right fit. They can give you information about what to expect and how to know if it is not a good fit.

You Fear a Symptom Relapse

Clients who have achieved their treatment goals might have anxiety about termination because they worry symptoms could re-emerge in the future.

Relapse happens, or new symptoms can occur. Know that it is always an option toreturn to therapy. Even if your current therapist is not available in the future, they can give you referral information. Termination does not mean you are not allowed to seek support in the future.

You May Feel Sad

Finally, clients might feel sad or grieve that the relationship with their therapist is ending. Especially if therapy lasted a long time, they feel a connection to their therapist and will miss the relationship. This grief is something that you and your therapist can work through as you prepare for your final session.

Often, the therapist reviews the client’streatment planon a regular basis and notes the client’s progress. If the client seems to be achieving these goals, the therapist might suggest talking about termination. However, the client can also bring up termination at any time.

If either the therapist or the client thinks that the client is ready to discontinuetherapy, they can bring this up in session.

If either the client or the therapist notices that progress has stalled, they might bring up the possibility of making an appropriate referral. Again, this is to ensure that the client continues to get the best possible care.

If thetherapistbrings up the topic of termination and the client is not ready, it is OK to share this. You and your therapist can work together to decide what the best course is going forward.

Some clients reduce their sessions to once every few months or keep the option to call and have sessions on an occasional, as-needed basis when significant stressors arise.

This is an alternative to termination because they are not officially ending therapy but allowing the option for ongoing support as things come up.

A final therapy session can look many different ways depending on the therapist’sstyleand 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. It may also include safety planning for future triggers or stressful situations.

Some clients might want to give their therapist a terminationgiftto mark the transition and express their gratitude. Check with your therapist first, as ethics codes have different guidelines around accepting gifts, and some employers have rules about whether the therapist is permitted to accept a gift from a client.

Bring any questions or concerns you have to your therapist about termination and resources you may need going forward. Your therapist will work with you to make the transition as smooth and safe as possible.

How to Break Up With Your Therapist

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Swift JK, Callahan JL, Cooper M, Parkin SR.The impact of accommodating client preference in psychotherapy: A meta-analysis.Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2018;74(11):1924-1937. doi:10.1002/jclp.22680Knox S, Adrians N, Everson E, Hess S, Hill C, Crook-Lyon R.Clients' perspectives on therapy termination.Psychotherapy Research. 2011;21(2):154-167. doi:10.1080/10503307.2010.534509

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Swift JK, Callahan JL, Cooper M, Parkin SR.The impact of accommodating client preference in psychotherapy: A meta-analysis.Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2018;74(11):1924-1937. doi:10.1002/jclp.22680Knox S, Adrians N, Everson E, Hess S, Hill C, Crook-Lyon R.Clients' perspectives on therapy termination.Psychotherapy Research. 2011;21(2):154-167. doi:10.1080/10503307.2010.534509

Swift JK, Callahan JL, Cooper M, Parkin SR.The impact of accommodating client preference in psychotherapy: A meta-analysis.Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2018;74(11):1924-1937. doi:10.1002/jclp.22680Knox S, Adrians N, Everson E, Hess S, Hill C, Crook-Lyon R.Clients' perspectives on therapy termination.Psychotherapy Research. 2011;21(2):154-167. doi:10.1080/10503307.2010.534509

Knox S, Adrians N, Everson E, Hess S, Hill C, Crook-Lyon R.Clients' perspectives on therapy termination.Psychotherapy Research. 2011;21(2):154-167. doi:10.1080/10503307.2010.534509

Hannah Owens, LMSW

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?

You Feel Anxious About Starting Over#

You’re Worried About the Efficacy of a Different Treatment#

You Fear a Symptom Relapse#

You May Feel Sad#

You Feel Anxious About Starting Over

You’re Worried About the Efficacy of a Different Treatment

You Fear a Symptom Relapse

You May Feel Sad