Final phase in psychotherapy

Final phase is a key component of the psychotherapeutic process. It has an important impact on the ability of the client to utilize his/her abilities and skills in later life as well as to seek treatment in the future. The goal of this review study was to explore research studies published in Czech and English language in 1990 - 2019 which focused on the description of the initiation and course of the final phase of an individual psychotherapeutic or counselling process. Research studies focused on circumstances and reasons for initiation of the final phase, its content and duration. They investigated the factors which influence the process of the final phase and how clients and therapists response to it. This overview study describes the results of research studies from each area, including their final summary and recommendations. Although the final phase of the psychotherapeutic process is a key component, it is relatively underexplored in the scientific literature.