Terminating Therapy

Dear Clients,

We have 8 remaining weeks together before I close my psychotherapy practice on March 31, so I put some information to help us plan to make the best use of our time. I know “terminating” our therapy relationship sounds intense, and it is! It is normal to feel a mix of emotions during this time. Please practice self-compassion, pace yourself, and make space to process your emotions in your journal and in our sessions. You can also reach out to me between sessions for extra support.

1. Book our remaining sessions. Take a look at your calendar to confirm the number of sessions we are able to have between now and March 31, and book them now (if we haven’t already). 

2. Decide if you’d like to stop therapy for now, or transition to working with another therapist. To help you clarify what has worked well for you in therapy with me, and help you decide if you’d like to continue therapy long-term or stop therapy for now, I encourage you to journal. This will be helpful either way. I know it can be overwhelming to think of starting with a new therapist, but writing out your answers to these questions will help you find a great starting point if and when you do decide to work with someone new. 

I create a Termination Note for each client that remains in your electronic health record. I would like this document to be collaborative, so I want to incorporate your words into it as much as possible. If you’d like to share your journal entries, I can incorporate them into your treatment summary. Then you will get a signed copy from me that you can share with your future therapist if you would like. 

3. Plan our remaining sessions. You might like to write out an agenda for each of our sessions. We can start with a check-in like always, spending about the first 10 minutes of the session on your week, and then move on to what we’ve planned. 

Here are some things you may like to do in/between our remaining sessions

• Journal (see prompts)
• Complete worksheets or workbooks
• Review initial goals for treatment and reflect on achievements
• Re-take assessment questionnaires and reflect on changes
• Set a new/continued goal to focus on with the next therapist
• Clarify search criteria for the next therapist
• Contact referrals and set up consultation calls
• Review Treatment Summary and records, if requested
• Develop Mental Health Maintenance Plan

4. Complete a Mental Health Maintenance Plan if you plan to stop therapy, or book consultations with therapists you might like to work with. I have a list of referrals below.

5. Review my record keeping policies and submit any record requests. From now through March 31, I am waiving my administrative fees. Please re-read your Consent for Treatment form to make sure you understand your rights as my client, even after we terminate. It is also posted on my website if you’d like to review it there (click here). If you have any questions, please let me know. 

The termination process is hard, and can feel overwhelming. Please know I am right here with you, and will always support you however I can. 

Here is an article you might find helpful to read as well.

Referrals and Journal Prompts are linked below.