Well, this is a topic that really depends on the T and on their theoretical orientation.

Moving to a new clinic, or quitting are two common ways that therapy ends. Outside of that, some T's are willing to stick with their clients for years and years, and wait for slow improvement patiently. Others are more "quick fix" oriented and want their clients to improve more quickly. There's also the consideration of insurance and how many sessions the insurance will pay for. And sometimes, a T just doesn't feel qualified to help a client or they're just not a good personality match together. These would all be what we call "ethical" termination. In an ethical termination, the T would help hand a client off to a new T who is more suited to the client.

Unethical termination is reasons or methods of getting rid of clients because of problems with the T. There are about a 100 different ways this could go wrong, so I will give a few examples. A client who is triggering a T into breaking boundaries and over-extending themselves would lead to burnout and a dislike for the client, which could lead to sudden termination if the client feels needy or demanding. Often, there is little to no closure given in these cases. A T might also suddenly terminate a client for family reasons, but it becomes unethical if they don't give the client a few closure sessions and hand the case off to someone else who can continue the work. There are other unethical terminations such as demanding a client do something they are uncomfortable with, and threatening termination if they don't agree, or dropping a client in order to pursue a sexual relationship with them. Most, if not all, of these problems can be avoided if the T has good supervision.

Any other questions?