Premature Terminations: A Social Construct Affects Psychotherapy's Outcome‪.‬

Abstract Premature termination is a pivotal point in psychotherapy. When patients relate mental health professionals to medical health professionals, the words, "I cannot help you," can be a discriminating stimulus for suicide. A patient who hears this may feel as helpless as someone who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. This Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) role-playing study compares the feelings experienced by patients in open-ended and closed-ended terminations. The open-ended psychotherapy termination group generated the most positive emotional reactions, with no one in the open-ended termination group expressing strong suicidal tendencies. Three participants among the closed-ended termination group expressed strong suicidal tendencies. The results indicate that using the standard therapeutic termination for a full-term psychotherapy relationship is a safe stance to take for any premature termination. For ethical and legal reasons, providing an open door for future client contact should be a standard part of all psychotherapy terminations.