Termination - Who is the Patient
(November 2005
, Volume 1)
… It is not uncommon for therapists to have a difficult time answering the question asked above. Perhaps the identified patient was originally the couple, but it later turned into individual therapy when one of the participants dropped out of therapy. Or, perhaps the therapist was working with an individual, but the therapy later turned into couple or family therapy. While it may be difficult to pigeonhole treatment into one category or another, therapists must pay attention to the question so that they can be clear – both with the participants directly and in the treatment records – as to when the therapist-patient relationship changes. It may be necessary or advisable to let one or more of the participants know that there has been a termination of a prior relationship and that henceforward a different relationship is in existence.
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