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Psychotherapy termination: clinical and ethical responsibilities
Author(s) -
Vasquez Melba J. T.,
Bingham Rosie P.,
Barnett Jeffrey E.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20478
Subject(s) - abandonment (legal) , psychology , session (web analytics) , psychotherapist , professional ethics , ethical code , association (psychology) , professional standards , engineering ethics , law , political science , engineering , world wide web , computer science
The successful termination of the psychotherapy relationship is each psychotherapist's goal. Yet, a number of circumstances may arise that interfere with the successful completion and termination of treatment. This article addresses both termination and abandonment and illustrates the applicable guidelines and standards from the American Psychological Association's (2002) Ethics Code. We conclude with 12 recommendations for proactively addressing termination and abandonment consistent with professional standards and each patient's best interests. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol:In Session 64: 653–665, 2008.