Premature Endings in Psychotherapy
I wrote some weeks ago about the importance of knowing when to end therapy. Today, I would like to look at what happens when therapy is concluded prematurely. I know that for many clients it would be a temptation that once a person starts to feel better the desire to end therapy becomes more potent. Additionally, if things are not going to plan there is a greater desire to end therapy abruptly.
It is important to remember that therapy is a process and processes are not a constant. There are times when the process improves, sometimes gets worse, and sometimes remains just stays the same. These states are not permanent they are the necessary states which most clients go through in order to achieve therapeutic closure.
Contrary to what people might believe, therapists are there to help and to become redundant. In other words, we understand that our time with an individual is limited and is meant to be. We do not have any great desire to make therapy last longer than it needs to. In fact, it is in our mutual interest to get to a satisfactory conclusion as quickly as possible. For those in therapy, please remember to be patient, the process will take as long as it takes.
