Terminating With Clients Resource

Ending therapy with children is not simply a final session, it is an important part of the therapeutic process. Children need time, preparation, and emotional space to understand and live through the ending of a meaningful therapeutic relationship.

This one page resource offers a practical guide for therapists, counsellors, social workers, and students who are preparing to terminate with child clients. It includes helpful reference points for thinking about whether a child may be ready for termination, such as changes in dependence on the therapist, emotional expression, aggression, limit acceptance, symbolic play, fear, self-acceptance, and insight.The guide also provides gentle, creative ideas for saying goodbye in the playroom.

These include creating a collage, making handprints or footprints, decorating goodbye stones or worry stones, creating a therapy treasure box, bottling sand, making playdough, printing photographs, or planning a “happy/sad party” with the child’s permission.

This one page resource reminds professionals to begin planning for termination early, ideally at least three sessions before the final session, so that the child has time to process the ending in a safe and supported way.

Please note: This resource is intended for psychoeducational and reflective purposes. Termination should always be handled with sensitivity, professional judgement, and consideration of the child’s developmental stage, attachment needs, therapeutic progress, and emotional readiness.