Therapeutic Termination Case Study

The process of terminating a therapeutic relationship can be a rather difficult time for both the clinician and the client. This can be because of feelings of sadness, loss, anger, and rejection towards the termination process. The termination may also be a positive experience in which the social worker and the client have a mutual understanding for the termination and positive feelings related to the success of the treatment (Woods & Hollis, 2000). Furthermore, the termination experience for both the social worker and the client can be either positive or negative depending on the way the social worker and the agency handle the termination process with the client. This paper will focus on the termination process between me and a client, what feelings did the termination process evoke in me and in the client, and well address the challenges I faced when terminating the therapeutic relationship with the client. In the agency I currently work on the termination process is handled since the opening of the case. According to Gitterman and Germian (2008) “work on termination must start at the first session and be a theme in every session. Termination then provides an opportunity to deepen the work on life losses” (pp. 395). …show more content…
During my discussion with my supervisor, I also learned that I was going through counter-transference with Ms. Martinez. I saw myself as her hero, who was there to protect her and teach her the skills she lacked. I was displaying the feelings I had for my mother, who I have always protected and whom I have made very dependent on me. I believed that the ending of this therapeutic relationship helped me understand that social workers must be highly skilled in self-awareness and sensitivity, in order to provide the best service possible (Woods and Hollis,