Endings in Clinical Practice ─ Effective Closure in Diverse Settings

Effective endings ensure that intervention gains continue after the therapeutic relationship ends. Joseph Walsh relates this critical topic to all practitioners through his use of diverse settings, detailed coverage of clinical endings, and extensive case illustrations that make the content concrete, practical, and accessible. Walsh takes a multi-setting and multi-theoretical approach to the often-overlooked topic of endings in clinical practice.

Endings in Clinical Practice is organized into three parts. The first part covers types of endings in clinical practice, both planned and unplanned; the importance of closure; and common endings tasks across fields of practice. Part Two outlines theoretical perspectives on endings especially pertinent to advanced practitioners. The final section considers a variety of specific clinical ending situations and the ways in which clients and practitioners may react to them.

Joseph Walsh, (PhD, LCSW, Ohio State University) is professor of social work at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has been a direct services practitioner in the field of mental health since 1974, first in a psychiatric hospital and later in community mental health center settings. He continues to provide direct services to clients at the university counseling center and also at area shelters, clubhouses, and group homes. Professor Walsh was the 1998 recipient of the National Mental Health Association's George Goodman Brudney and Ruth P. Brudney Social Work Award, given annually to recognize significant contributions to the care and treatment of persons with mental illness.