Termination Rituals in Therapy

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Termination Rituals in Therapy (2HR)

$32.00

Course Description

This rich and reflective training explores the clinical, emotional, and symbolic importance of ending the therapeutic relationship with intention and care. Too often, terminations are rushed, avoided, or emotionally disconnected, missing a profound opportunity for integration, closure, and transformation. This training provides clinicians with practical tools and creative ideas for designing meaningful termination rituals tailored to each client’s developmental stage, cultural context, and therapeutic journey. Drawing from psychodynamic, creative, expressive arts, narrative, and relational perspectives, participants will examine the psychological impact of endings, common client and therapist reactions to termination, and ethical considerations around planned and unplanned closures.

Upon completion of the training, participants will be able to:

Explain the psychological and relational significance of the termination phase in the therapeutic process.
Identify common emotional responses to termination and apply strategies to support clients in navigating the ending process.
Describe how to implement personalized termination rituals that foster reflection, integration, and a sense of closure.

Social workers completing this course receive 2 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.

For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 2 hours of Clinical continuing education training.

Course Instructor: Dreya Blume, LCSW

Recording Date: 1/29/2026

Course Format

NBCC ACEP # 7091, CE Training Workshops has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP #7091. Programs that do not qualify are clearly identified. CE Training Workshops is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. CE Training Workshops designates this continuing education activity for 3 continuing education hours.

CE Training Workshops, LLC, #1770, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/02/2025 to 08/02/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 Clinical continuing education credits.

Meet Your Facilitator

Dreya Blume, LCSW, has traveled a long and winding road to arrive where she is today,as a therapist, coach, author, and group facilitator.

She has taught English in Thailand, Japan, Australia, and Hawaii. She has worked in psychiatric wards, served as a case manager, and eventually launched her own private therapy practice.

She has taught part-time as an adjunct professor for over twenty years, led multi-day international retreats, and written seventeen books, with an eighteenth on the way.

Syllabus

Objective 1: Explain the Significance of the Termination Phase

Participants will explore the psychological meaning of therapeutic endings and how attachment patterns influence responses to termination. The course examines why endings activate vulnerability, memory, and relational meaning within the therapeutic process.

Objective 2: Identify Emotional and Nervous System Responses to Termination

This section focuses on common emotional responses to therapy endings, including grief, anger, shame, and pride. Participants will examine how the nervous system may be triggered during termination and learn strategies to support regulation and emotional processing.

Objective 3: Implement Personalized Termination Rituals

Participants will learn how to design and facilitate termination rituals that support closure and integration. The course explores the psychological importance of ritual, various types of termination rituals, and ethical considerations to ensure rituals remain clinically appropriate and client-centered.

Summary and Q&A

The course concludes with a summary of key concepts and an opportunity for discussion and reflection to support thoughtful, ethical approaches to therapeutic endings.