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Wk 7 Discussion – Termination

Post a substantive response which includes your initial post and 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member. A minimum of 175 words each post.

Saying goodbye is never easy. Both counselors and clients have sometimes struggled to end relationships. What have relationship endings been like for you? How do you see this as translating to your group work? Also, what is the significance of termination in group counseling?

C.A.

Termination of counseling can be difficult for clients to come to terms with, especially when sessions have been a crutch for them. Counselors need to be delicate when approaching clients about the idea of termination. Termination expectations should be defined during the initial appointment, stating why services would be terminated. According to the American Counseling Association (2014), termination of services should occur when the therapist feels that services are no longer needed, are more detrimental to the client, or the client is no longer benefiting from the services provided. I have not had to officially terminate services since my job position does not work like that, however, because of the age group I work with, I do lose individuals and families when the are scheduled to transition to adult services. Naturally, parents are worried and concerned because they will need to get used to all new staff and teams. When parents voice their concerns with this, I remind them how regardless of where they go, they (the individual) will be taken care of and everyone will do what is best for them. Terminating relationships can be bittersweet, because these are people you build a professional bond with, but can be exciting to see them grow and learn from all the information you have provided to them throughout their counseling journey. Termination is a group setting can be just as hard, as one would imagine, because the termination is not just between leader and a group member, but the termination is between group members as well. This might create anxiety and fear, due to not knowing what will happen next, but as a leader it is our job to ensure them they are capable.

Reference:

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).

Instructor

Though we may not want to admit it, counselors are not superheroes. We also have our personal struggles, and this may impact our work with clients. Some of our struggles brought us to counseling (and that's not a bad thing!).

Saying goodbye is often very difficult because some of us have not had good experiences with it. As you think about the discussion board this week, I invite you to consider your own experiences with saying good-bye. Is this a point of concern for you? How would you know that it is a concern (i.e., what might you be thinking, feeling, doing?)? How might this impact you emotionally when terminating a group?

Cite one source according to APA standards.