![]() Because I had discussed with the client the importance and purpose of being able to end the session on time, the client was understanding of whenever I interrupted him to end the session. Ending the session on time was modeling for the client respecting boundaries, which in this case were each other’s time, the following client’s time, or the client’s next appointment’s time. This could reduce awkwardness and the potential for hurt feelings, and in a way gives you some permission to interrupt the client at the end of the session.įor example, when I worked in a forensic setting, one goal that many clients worked on was respecting boundaries. Consider the ending as therapeutic.Ĭonceptualizing the end of the session as a therapeutic interaction that could contribute to your client’s growth may encourage and inspire you to end the session in a timely and thoughtful manner.įor instance, the way in which you end a session could demonstrate healthy boundaries and time-management skills, model compassionate and effective communication skills, or even possibly provide a corrective experience for the client.Ĭommunicating with the client that ending the session on time is a step toward one of the client’s treatment plan goals or an interaction you see worth working on may invite the client to also be thoughtful about ending the session (or at least have a little bit of understanding if you have to interrupt him or her). Please consider if these are appropriate for you and your client, and seek consultation. ![]() Please note that these suggestions are oriented toward non-crisis situations and are suggestions based on mine and my colleagues’ professional and personal experiences, having had our own therapy and having worked in diverse settings and with populations ranging from young children to the geriatric population. ![]() What follows are some suggestions that may be helpful in facilitating graceful endings to sessions and in contributing to the strengthening of the therapeutic relationship, providing the opportunity for growth and healing. Similarly, ending a session gracefully may nonverbally communicate to the client that you can and are going to be there to support his growth whether the emergent therapeutic material is pleasant or unpleasant, thereby building trust and openness – part of the framework for growth. The pilot needs to see the passengers through to the end of the flight, which may have been turbulent or smooth, and instill a sense of safety and trust from boarding to the moment the last passenger has deplaned. Įnding the session smoothly could be analogous to landing an airplane. The therapeutic alliance has been correlated with improved treatment outcomes across individuals with varying mental health issues and has been found to be a better predictor of treatment outcome than the type of intervention. It could contribute to the client’s sense of feeling valued which in turn contributes to the therapeutic alliance. One reason the way in which a therapist ends a session matters is because it could help in facilitating a sense of support for the client, augmenting the support already given during the meat of the therapy session. However, very few, if any, address implementation of those techniques fluidly and in a manner that is natural and least disruptive to the client’s process. There are a plethora of ideas out there of how to end a session on time, such as setting a timer or providing a nonverbal cue, and many of those suggestions may be effective in ending a session on time. Ending a session on time and doing so gracefully can be tricky.
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