Terminating Therapy

Denise D. Davis is Assistant Director of Clinical Training for the doctoral pro-gram in Clinical Psychology at Vanderbilt University. She has nearly twenty-five years of experience as a private practitioner, clinical educator, and consultant.

• Foreword by Arthur Freeman, Ed.D., ABPP viiPreface xiAcknowledgments xiii1 Termination Strategy: A Pragmatic Approach in Contemporary Practice 1The Importance of Termination 1Pragmatic Strategy for Termination 18Summary Points for Applied Practice 232 Professional Skills and Termination 25Building A Base of Collaboration 25Applying Reasonable Professional Standards 36Summary Points for Applied Practice 463 Positive Closure from the Start: Groundwork for Termination 47Optimize the Match 47Set Policy and Shape Expectations for Termination 52Formulate a Termination Plan 60Summary Points for Applied Practice 764 Talking about Termination: A Closer Look at Communications 77Orientation to the Topic of Termination 77Making the Decision to Terminate 86Creating a Record 104Summary Points for Applied Practice 1065 Achieving Closure: Assuring Professional Action 109Directing the Termination Process 109Managing Risks 123Summary Points for Applied Practice 1336 Adapting Termination to Client Needs: A Consumer-Oriented Perspective 135Sociocultural Context 135Clinical Needs 138Developmental and Health-Related Needs 163Practical Concerns 168Summary Points for Applied Practice 1717 Provider Challenges 173Termination Dissonance 173Sudden or Crisis Terminations 180Self-Management Challenges 189Summary Points for Applied Practice 1988 Termination with Couples, Families, and Groups 201Attending to Multiple Interests 201Termination and Group Therapy 212Summary Points for Applied Practice 2169 Supervisory Termination 219The Supervisory Relationship 219Problems in Supervisory Termination 233Summary Points for Applied Practice 24410 A Consumer’s Guide to Ending Psychotherapy 247Understanding How to End on a Positive Note 248References 265Subject Index 275Author Index 287