Termination with Families and Group
Intervention endings are a critical part of social work practice. Because endings may create strong emotional reactions, the termination process starts from the first session. Successfully terminating family sessions or group sessions promotes learning for clients to take with them moving forward.
By Day 3
Post a comparison of the termination process between treatment groups and family sessions. Explain how you would evaluate readiness to terminate group and family treatment, identifying similarities and differences between the evaluation of the two types of treatment. Describe the techniques you would use to terminate a treatment group and how these may be the same or different than the techniques you would use to terminate a family intervention.
By Day 5
Respond to at least two colleagues by explaining whether you agree or disagree that the techniques identified by your colleague will result in successful termination. Identify potential consequences of early termination for families and groups.
2 references per student
Serena Milroy RE: Discussion – Week 11
COLLAPSE
Social workers’ therapeutic relationships with their clients eventually come to an end, and the way they end and how the social worker handles terminations can have ethical and legal implications( NASW, 2017). Social workers should assess a client’s ongoing treatment needs prior to initiating termination. Termination in both group and family treatment often includes evaluating the progress toward goal achievement, as well as working through any resistance and denial that comes up. The termination phase for both also includes discussions about how to anticipate and resolve future problems, and how to find additional resources for any future needs. Ideally, termination occurs once the client and therapist agree that the treatment goals have been, met or sufficient progress has been made, and/or the client improves and no longer needs clinical services(Westmacott, R., & Hunsley, J. 2016).
Establishing termination is one of the more important aspects of treatment. Many of the same skills necessary for termination of individual counseling relationships are necessary for terminating counseling groups. Group leaders must be aware of their own timeline for the group, and communicate that timeline to group members, as well as to know when to initiate the termination stage(Westmacott, R., & Hunsley, J. 2016). Very often groups will have a set number of sessions, so the conclusion of the counseling relationship can be anticipated.
Families who experienced a successful outcome to family therapy appeared to be ready to terminate when they had made an adjustment in their thinking about family problems and how to resolve them. According to Espinoza (2019), families who showed a readiness to terminate use a three-stage process: a) the family relied on the therapist to initiate the suggestion, b) the family eventually claimed ownership of the idea, and c) the family negotiated with the therapist how to terminate therapy.
The techniques I would use to terminate a treatment group would be reinforcing the progress that was made during the course of the group, offering suggestions to group members about ways in which they can successfully incorporate what they have learned into their daily lives, assisting participants in processing their feelings about termination, and educating participants about additional resources that are available to them as supports once the group has ended. These techniques would be the same for termination of group and family treatment, as both have created a bond with the therapist. By incorporating these techniques, it would help to lessen the feeling of abandonment that they may feel due to the termination of treatment. It will help both families and groups to be encouraged to utilize what they have learned and the skills they have developed to address life challenges after treatment has ended.
References:
Espinoza, S. (2019). Termination in Couple and Family Therapy. Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy, 2914-2916. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_571
National Association of Social Workers. (2017). NASW: Code of Ethics. Retrieved from:https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=rUt4ybE_GW4%3D&portalid=0
Westmacott, R., & Hunsley, J. (2016). Psychologists Perspectives on Therapy Termination and the Use of Therapy Engagement/Retention Strategies. Clinical Psychology &Psychotherapy,24(3), 687-696. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2037
Shannon Beebe RE: Discussion – Week 11
COLLAPSE
According to Westmacott and Hunsley, therapeutic workers must know the dealines of either groups or family therapy sessions and they must do their best to communicate these time lines with their clients and group members (Westmacott, Hunsley, 2016). They also go on to say that termination is one of the most important parts of the treatment process. If a client is unaware of the time the group is going to end, it could cause more harm than good due to having unresolved conflicts or issues. Terminating family sessions is easier due to having specific goals met by each family member as well as being able to closely monitor them in an intimate session with the therapist. It may be harder to tell whether group members in a treatment group have met their goals or not. According to Espinoza (2019), families who showed a readiness to terminate use a three-stage process: a) the family relied on the therapist to initiate the suggestion, b) the family eventually claimed ownership of the idea, and c) the family negotiated with the therapist how to terminate therapy.
There are a few techniques that clinicians can use to make termination as smooth as possible for themselves and for their clients. I generally begin sessions with my clients who are 5-14 by telling them this will not be a forever thing for them so that they do not become dependent on me and think I will always be there when they need someone. This helps them to be independent with using their coping skills to navigate their feelings. Also, termination can be discussed in a positive light. For example, when working with kids, I will tell them they are “graduating” from counseling so that they will find it to be exciting instead of sad or disappointing. Empowering them to understand this is a good thing and not a sad thing is so important because termination means they have the tools and are able to do it on their own. References:
Espinoza, S. (2019). Termination in Couple and Family Therapy. Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy, 2914-2916. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_571
Westmacott, R., & Hunsley, J. (2016). Psychologists Perspectives on Therapy Termination and the Use of Therapy Engagement/Retention Strategies. Clinical Psychology &Psychotherapy,24(3), 687-696. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2037
Shannon Beebe RE: Discussion – Week 11
COLLAPSE
According to Westmacott and Hunsley, therapeutic workers must know the dealines of either groups or family therapy sessions and they must do their best to communicate these time lines with their clients and group members (Westmacott, Hunsley, 2016). They also go on to say that termination is one of the most important parts of the treatment process. If a client is unaware of the time the group is going to end, it could cause more harm than good due to having unresolved conflicts or issues. Terminating family sessions is easier due to having specific goals met by each family member as well as being able to closely monitor them in an intimate session with the therapist. It may be harder to tell whether group members in a treatment group have met their goals or not. According to Espinoza (2019), families who showed a readiness to terminate use a three-stage process: a) the family relied on the therapist to initiate the suggestion, b) the family eventually claimed ownership of the idea, and c) the family negotiated with the therapist how to terminate therapy.
There are a few techniques that clinicians can use to make termination as smooth as possible for themselves and for their clients. I generally begin sessions with my clients who are 5-14 by telling them this will not be a forever thing for them so that they do not become dependent on me and think I will always be there when they need someone. This helps them to be independent with using their coping skills to navigate their feelings. Also, termination can be discussed in a positive light. For example, when working with kids, I will tell them they are “graduating” from counseling so that they will find it to be exciting instead of sad or disappointing. Empowering them to understand this is a good thing and not a sad thing is so important because termination means they have the tools and are able to do it on their own. References:
Espinoza, S. (2019). Termination in Couple and Family Therapy. Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy, 2914-2916. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_571
Westmacott, R., & Hunsley, J. (2016). Psychologists Perspectives on Therapy Termination and the Use of Therapy Engagement/Retention Strategies. Clinical Psychology &Psychotherapy,24(3), 687-696. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2037