When Therapy Ends: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The end of therapy is a challenging time, for clients and for therapists. Whether the client has done the work and is ready to move on – completed Stage Three of treatment – or therapy ends before that process is complete. In Stage Three, as clients move past dissociation as a defense, they address therapeutic concerns central to the sense of self. Existential questions arise, “Who am I? What does it mean to be me? How do I cope in an emotionally intimate relationship? How do I manage shame, conflict, other big feelings, and life issues while remaining present and connected? How do I grieve what was lost, all the time caught up in trauma?” When therapy ends before the client has completed Stage Three, the process becomes more complicated. Attachment and abandonment issues are intense, with emotions frequently difficult for both client and therapist. This workshop addresses issues and questions inherent in the third stage of trauma treatment, and issues faced when therapy ends prematurely, helping clients and therapists deal with the emotions of healing and letting go, and taking pride in using authentic life skills to create their future and their identity.

This course is based on the recorded webinar, When Therapy Ends: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly created by Lynette Danylchuk, PhD et al in 2020.