Unit 8: Termination Of Counselling Relationships Flashcards
Outline three functions of termination in a counselling relationship.
- Signals that something is finished. To begin something new, a former experience must be completed and resolved. It is the opportunity to end a learning experience properly. Both client and counsellor are motivated by the knowledge that the counselling experience is limited in time
- Is a means of maintaining changes already achieved and generalizing problem-solving skills acquired in counselling.
- Serves as a reminder that the client has matured
Give two reasons why counsellors may avoid addressing the processes of termination in counselling
- Termination is associated with loss, a traditionally taboo subject in all parts of society, especially counselling which is generally viewed as emphasizing growth and development unrelated to endings.
- Termination is not directly related to the microskills that facilitate counselling relationships.
Identify and describe two factors and five strategies for terminating a counselling session.
Two factors: first, both client and counsellor should be aware that the session is ending. Second, no new material should be introduced or discussed during this ending.
Five strategies:
- Make a brief statement indicating that time is up
- Use nonverbal gestures to indicate that the session is ending. May include looking at watch or standing up
- Summarize what has happened in the session
- Set up the next appointment
- Near the end of the session, the counsellor should remind the client that there are only 5 or 10 minutes left
Identify and describe the four questions to consider regarding when to terminate a counselling relationship.
- Have clients achieved behavioral, cognitive, or affective contract goals? When both clients and counsellors have a clear idea about whether particular goals have been reached, the timing of termination is easier to figure out. The key to this consideration is setting up a mutually agreed-upon contract before counselling begins
- Can clients concretely show where they have made progress in what they wanted to accomplish? In this situation, specific progress may be the basis for making a decision about termination
- Is the counselling relationship helpful? If either the client or the counsellor senses that what is occurring in the counselling sessions is not helpful, termination is appropriate
- Has the context of the initial counselling arrangement changed? In cases where there is a move or a prolonged illness, termination as well as a referral should be considered
Describe the termination of individual sessions
Initial sessions should have clearly defined time limits, a range of 45 to 50 minutes is generally considered adequate for an individual counselling session
Identify and describe four considerations for a planned termination of the counselling relationship
- An examination of whether the clients initial problem or symptoms have been reduced or eliminated
- And assessment of the clients coping ability and degree of understanding of self and others
- A determination of whether the client can relate better to others and is able to love and be loved
- An examination of whether the client has acquired abilities to plan and work productively
- And evaluation of whether the client can better play and enjoy life
A gradual decrease in your natural structures developed to create desired changes. Clients gradually stop receiving reinforcement from counsellors for behaving in certain ways, and appointments are spread out
Fading
To promote feeding, counselling sessions can be simply shortened as well as based further apart. Another way to promote termination is to help clients develop successful problem-solving skills
Clients do this by asking for more time at the end of the session, and asking for more appointments once a goal has been reached.
Client resistance
When counsellors are reluctant to say goodbye at the appropriate time. Clients who have special or unusual needs or those who are very productive may be especially attractive to counsellors
Counsellor resistance
Discuss two client behaviours that indicate resistance
- Asking for more time at the end of the session
2. Asking for more appointments once a goal has been reached
Discuss five ways a counsellor may help a client avoid resisting termination
The termination process should be carried out gradually and slowly. Sessions can become less frequent overtime, and client skills, abilities, and resources can be highlighted simultaneously. The counsellor can “prescribe” a limited number of future sessions or concentrate with clients on how they will set themselves up for relapse
What three strategies may help a counsellor deal with his or her own resistance to termination?
Seek consultation with colleagues in dealing with this problem, undergo counseling,
Discuss premature termination
Cannot be measured by the number of sessions the client has completed, but rather, has to do with how well the client has achieved the personal goals established in the beginning and how well he or she is functioning generally.
Some clients may not have the commitment or motivation to change, others express this desire after realizing the work necessary for change, others make this wish known indirectly by missing or being late for appointments.
Counsellors make the mistake of blaming themselves for the client, or to act in a cavalier manner about the situation
What are four variables most likely to be effective in preventing premature termination?
Appointments, orientation to counseling, consistency of a counselor, reminders to motivate client attendance
The opposite of premature termination. A counsellor sometimes needs to end relationships with some or all clients, reasons may include illness, working through countertransference, relocation to another area, the end of an internship or practicum experience, and extended trip, or the realization that client needs could be better served by someone else.
Poor reasons include a counselor’s feelings of anger, boredom, or anxiety
Counselor-initiated termination
