Termination of the interview

As a general rule it is found that about fifty to sixty minutes is an appropriate time for any interview, unless there are special circumstances that make variation necessary. The client will generally be unable to profit sufficiently by any longer interview, and the counselor will generally have other responsibilities to discharge. There are some dependent types of client who seem to have a need to prolong interviews, and when the time is approaching for the termination they will bring up some new and important matter for discussion.

Even at some expense to the rapport it is generally wise for any counselor to hold his clients tactfully but firmly to the realities of time; this is probably good for the client’s education in “reality thinking.” If the counselor allows the client to dictate the time of interviews there will come a time when the counselor is actually unable to spare extra time and this will cause great feeling of rejection to a client who has been allowed to be the “spoiled child” in this way previously.

It is generally important to leave the client with some more positive hopeful ideas at the end of any interview, and the counselor needs to prepare for this, beginning at about ten minutes before the termination. He tries to avoid matters which are heavily charged with feeling at that time, and he also tries to lead up to a simple summary of what has been expressed and what has been planned, if anything.

The general introduction to this terminal stage of the interview may be something like this, “I’m afraid we’re coming near the end of our time, and I can see that you still have some important things to work out. But perhaps we might try to summarize what we have managed to consider together and what may be worth thinking about before next time. Then we can have time at the next session to go more fully into what you may want to talk over.” If necessary the counselor can bring up some encouraging thing that has come up in the interview, so as to conclude on as optimistic a note as possible, but it would not generally be helpful to drag in any optimistic assurance which has not been warranted.

The client should always feel quite free to decide whether or not to make another appointment, and if no appointment is made he should be assured that he can always come again if he should feel any desire to make another appointment.

Tags: Counseling