Date of Award
Fall 11-21-2025
Document Type
Doctoral Research Paper
Degree Name
Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
Organizational Unit
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
First Advisor
Noelle Lefforge
Second Advisor
Kathryn Barrs
Third Advisor
Talli Hitt
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Keywords
Psychotherapy termination, Clinical training guidelines, Forced termination, Supervision
Abstract
Treatment termination occurs, invariably, in every psychotherapy relationship. Closing the therapy relationship is often a complex process and requires targeted training for psychotherapists to terminate treatment competently and in a way that preserves gains made and fosters continued client growth. Discontinuation of psychotherapy services requires practitioners to apply ethical knowledge, clinical expertise, and relational boundaries. Further, the nuances of forced, end-of-year termination in clinical training environments necessitates targeted supervision and explicit guidelines. Surprisingly, termination practices are underemphasized in training programs and in the literature. The current paper will review the extant literature related to psychotherapy termination broadly as well as within the training environment. Available practice and training guidelines are then aggregated and synthesized to provide a comprehensive picture of psychotherapy termination in the contexts of therapist training and education, core termination objectives, clinical supervision needs, and supporting continued client growth. Lastly, based on the synthesis of extant literature and training models, updated and integrated guidelines for clinical training in the area of termination are provided for therapist training and education programs, clinical supervisors, and student-clinicians.
Copyright Date
10-16-2025
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Elyssa L. Jampolsky
Provenance
Received from author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
54 pgs
File Size
384 KB
Recommended Citation
Jampolsky, Elyssa L., "Considerations and Guidelines for Clinical Training and Professional Practice in the Area of Psychotherapy Termination" (2025). Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects. 581.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/capstone_masters/581