Premature termination is a pervasive problem in psychotherapy (Garfield, 1994) and campus mental health services are especially vulnerable to increased rates of this problem. Although client expectations have consistently been associated with premature termination (e.g., Callahan et al., 2009; Dew & Bickman, 2005; Reis & Brown, 2006), the role of therapist expectations is still not […]
Psychotherapy research has made significant strides over many decades in identifying treatment ingredients that bode well for a successful outcome (Greenberg, 2016; Lambert, 2013; Norcross, 2011). Yet, relatively little empirical evidence or transtheoretical consensus has been produced about the closing moves in effective terminations. Instead, attention has more frequently been turned to the problem of […]
Clinical Notes with Dr. J Psychotherapy and the therapeutic space are intended to be sanctuaries overseen by an ever-present, always-supportive clinician, but they not immune to societal pressures and challenges, such as racism and prejudice. Given my previous experience in psychotherapy as a young child and my recent experiences as a clinician, I truly value […]
Premature termination in therapy occurs when a client discontinues therapy prior to recovering from his or her presenting concern and against clinician recommendation. Although research indicates that premature termination has decreased in recent years from 47% (Wierzbicki & Pakarik, 1993) to 20% (Swift & Greenberg, 2012), it still presents a major problem. The effectiveness of […]