Premature Termination in Psychotherapy: Strategies for Engaging Clients and Improving Outcomes

Premature termination is a significant yet often neglected problem in psychotherapy with significant consequences for clients and therapists alike.

According to some estimates, as many as 20% of adult clients terminate psychotherapy prematurely. Even experienced practitioners using the best evidence-based techniques cannot successfully promote positive, long-term change in clients who do not complete the full course of treatment.

This book helps therapists and clinical researchers identify the common factors that lead to premature termination, and it presents eight strategies to address these factors and reduce client dropout rates. Such evidence-based techniques will help therapists establish proper roles and behaviors, work with client preferences, educate clients on patterns of change, and plan for appropriate termination within the first few sessions.

Additional strategies can be used throughout therapy to help strengthen and reinforce clients' feelings of hope, enhance their motivation to create change, develop and maintain the therapeutic alliance, and continually evaluate overall treatment progress.

Case examples demonstrate how these strategies can be employed in real-life scenarios.

Introduction

I. Understanding Premature Termination in Psychotherapy

1. What Is Premature Termination, and Why Does It Occur?
2. Predictors of Premature Termination in Psychotherapy

II. Strategies for Reducing Premature Termination

1. Provide Role Induction
2. Incorporate Preferences Into the Treatment Decision-Making Process
3. Assist in Planning for Appropriate Termination
4. Provide Education About Patterns of Change in Psychotherapy
5. Strengthen Hope
6. Enhance Motivation for Treatment
7. Foster the Therapeutic Alliance
8. Assess and Discuss Treatment Progress With Clients

III. Conclusion

1. Conclusions and Future Directions

References

Index

About the Authors

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