Successfully Terminating a Play Therapy Session

November 2024

Every issue we ask a counseling student or new professional to pose a career-related question to another counseling professional who has experience in that topic. This month, Demi Pino, a recent graduate with a master’s in clinical rehabilitation counseling from Georgia State University and an associate counselor at Threshold Community Program in Decatur, Georgia, asks Robert Jason Grant, EdD, LPC, RPT-S, about termination in play therapy. Grant is the owner of the AutPlay Therapy clinic in Springfield, Missouri, and the creator of AutPlay Therapy, an integrative family play therapy framework designed to help address the mental health needs of neurodivergent children and adolescents.

Question: How do you successfully end therapy when working with children and ensure it’s a positive experience for them?

Answer: The modality of play therapy represents several play therapy theories and approaches. Many of these theories and approaches have their own protocol for play therapy termination with a client. This highlights an understanding in play therapy that there is more than one thought and process for how termination may look.

Let’s look at some of the most common elements that manifest when ending play therapy work. A typical establishment and progression of termination of therapy could be as short as three sessions:

• Session 1: Discussion and agreement about terminating therapy
• Session 2: Termination intervention(s) with the client
• Session 3: The final session (graduation party)

The termination process could be initiated by the therapist or caregivers/client. When this happens, the counselor first reviews the therapy plan with the caregivers and possibly the child (if they are able to participate). During this session, the counselor establishes that they have accomplished the intended therapy goals and there are no new goals, and they explain to the caregivers and child that therapy will be coming to an end. Then they set a final session date.

The counselor can implement a termination-focused play therapy intervention prior to the final session or during the final session. The intervention is designed to help the child process the ending of therapy (provide closure), reflect on therapy gains and feel empowered by their accomplishments. The therapist should select an intervention that fits with the child’s play preferences and interests.

Some play therapists design the final session as a “graduation celebration” for the child, which allows them to celebrate all the child and family have accomplished in therapy. This might include playing one of the child’s favorite games or having a small treat. No matter what activity the counselor chooses, they should keep the atmosphere celebratory.

An exception to the three-session process I just described might be when the client does not want to terminate, even though therapy goals have been met. If this happens, the counselor may decide to decrease sessions slowly and terminate over a longer period of time. Regardless of the specific process, the termination phase should always include an explanation to clients that they can return to therapy in the future if needed.