Clients' reasons for terminating psychotherapy: a quantitative and qualitative inquiry

To study private-practice clients' perspective on reasons for psychotherapy termination and how these are related to demographic and treatment variables and to satisfaction with therapy.

Eighty-four persons who had been in extended private-practice psychotherapy which ended in the preceding three years participated in the study. Mean number of months in treatment was 27.70 (SD = 18.70).

Assessment included rating scales and open-ended questions assessing demographic variables, reasons for terminating therapy, and satisfaction with therapy.

Quantitative results revealed that the most frequent reasons for termination were accomplishment of goals, circumstantial constraints and dissatisfaction with therapy, and that client satisfaction was positively related to positive reasons for termination. Qualitative results revealed two additional frequently mentioned reasons for termination: the client's need for independence and the client's involvement in new meaningful relationships.

Findings suggest that psychotherapy termination may at times be required to facilitate the pursuit of personally meaningful goals.