By:  Susan Somogyi

Knowing when to start therapy can be difficult. Knowing when to stop can be just as hard.

For some people, the decision is made for them because a counselling program provides a limited number of sessions. For others, particularly those paying privately or using benefits, therapy can continue for months or even years. If you have a good relationship with your therapist, there may always be something to talk about. That does not necessarily mean you still need therapy.

One way to know if you are ready to finish is to return to the goals that brought you to therapy in the first place. Most therapists will work with you to identify what you would like to change and review those goals along the way. You may not have solved every problem in your life, but perhaps you understand yourself better, your relationships have improved, or you are handling difficult situations differently.

Being ready to end therapy does not mean that life will suddenly become easy. Challenges will still happen. The difference may be that you now have more tools to deal with them. You may recognize when something is starting to go wrong, know which coping strategies help, and feel more comfortable reaching out to someone you trust when you need support.

There can also be signs that it is time to talk about ending therapy. You may find yourself missing appointments, struggling to think of things to discuss, feeling bored, or noticing that sessions have become more like social conversations. You may even find yourself becoming irritated with your therapist. None of these automatically means therapy should end, but they are worth discussing with your therapist.

Ending therapy can also feel scary, especially if your therapist has become an important source of support. You do not have to decide that you are finished forever. Sometimes taking a break is enough. It gives you a chance to use what you have learned and see how you manage on your own. And if life becomes difficult again, you can return. Knowing when you need extra support, and being willing to reach out for it, is part of what successful therapy can teach you.

The goal of therapy is not to make sure you never struggle again. It is to help you feel better able to manage when you do. Ending therapy can be part of that journey too. And if you need it again, reach out, because good therapy is worth the effort.