Ending Therapy

The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy

Curt and Katie talk about termination of treatment, both when it is planned and when it is unplanned. We look at best practices, challenges, and how to handle it the best way you can.

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

In this episode we talk about:

• When to start talking about termination during treatment
• Setting expectations for the end of treatment
• How to address client’s instinct to “ghost” from treatment
• Normalizing the different paths to ending treatment
• Different reasons that you may not be able to complete treatment
• Planning ahead to diminish negative impacts of abrupt terminations that are out of your control
• Providing referrals, closure, and understanding that even that doesn’t always create positive outcomes
• The elements of a positive termination
• Managing expectations of what health and healing are and what would qualify someone to finish treatment
• Highlighting strengths and progress as well as on-going goals and challenges
• Acknowledging the relationship you’ve had with the client
• Processing your own response to the termination
• What to look at and learn when your client abruptly terminates
• Requesting termination sessions when someone decides to end suddenly – things to consider
• What to do when your client ghosts you
• Closing the client’s chart

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.

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Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/