When are you "Done" in Therapy?

How do you know when you're done with the therapy process?

Therapists have different ideas about therapy - whether they strictly adhere to goals related to the presenting problem - or they take a more more flexible position where there is room for an ebb and flow of the process. I happen to fall more on the latter side of the continuum and I do so because I've seen more many people begin therapy with a stated "problem" that actually becomes something different. In other words, what appears in the beginning to be the issue may be only the symptom of what's really going on. I believe it's partly the therapist's job to help the client identify what the underbelly of the symptom is.

My journey with my clients usually involves slowly peeling layers of the onion of who they are and what makes them function the way they do. Ofcourse the ultimate goal is to relieve symptoms and resolve the presenting problems.
My experience is that people end up exploring and revealing new information, dynamics and an increased awareness into how the people in their lives have impacted them - and how they've responded.

So - when are you "done" in therapy?

Some people are "done" when they have fewer symptoms and generally feel better. Others are "done" when they've done that but in addition have a much broader understanding of themselves and have shifted their perceptions enought to implement lasting change in their lives. Then some are "done" if they don't feel it's working for them or they aren't ready to take a deeper look into themselves.

At the end of the day - I believe the therapist and client collaboratively determine when it might be time to end the therapy process. Ofcourse, if an individual is quite ill and unable to make this determination, that's an acception. In some cases people get very attached to their therapists and may be fearful to break the attachment. In this case, I believe it should be explored and discussed in the therapy room.