The Termination Process: A Neglected Dimension in Social Work

Abstract

Termination—an important aspect of the therapeutic process—has been virtually ignored in the social work literature. The authors summarize relevant theory discuss the reasons for termination, and provide an extensive clinical example of a 12-year-old girl, based on observations through a one-way mirror during five therapy sessions, to point up the important aspects of the process, the client's feelings, and the worker's problems in helping the client work through to termination.