Should I tell T it's 'over' before my appt.

My last appointment with T2 is this Thursday only she doesn't know it yet.

Should I contact her via email ahead of time to let her know?

or

Do I wait to say something at the very beginning of the appointment or do I wait till the end of the appointment to say I'm not going to be seeing her anymore?

I think it would be respectful to at least tell her at the beginning of the appointment so I can tell her why it's the last appointment etc... instead of going through the appointment and then telling her in the last 5 minutes.

What would you do or what have you done?

I think it would be a good idea to email her, just to give her a heads up. Saying that it's your last session and that you want a chance to explain your reasons for leaving and have an ending session on thursday.

Well, that depends on how you feel. Many therapists like to have at least one closure session. If you email or call ahead, then this last session could possibly be used as a closure session.

I don't think it necessary to advise the therapist ahead of time nor does there need to be an additional closure appointment regardless of what the therapist wants. I can see telling the therapist at the beginning if you want to tell the therapist why or if you do not have anything else to discuss with them.
I left one, who was horrible, who told me I could not just quit without us discussing it and I was like no - I'm just not coming back. And I left - no more discussion. I did not feel bad about it = it was a relief for me, and I did not regret not discussing it with her. But that is me.
It is true that some therapists may like to have a separate closing appointment, but their desire to do so does not create an obligation in the client to comply or gratify their preference.

It sounds like you already know what would be best for you and for her.

I would email or leave her a message ahead of time. Unless a T has crossed boundaries and you are quitting for that reason, I think it's common courtesy to let them know ahead of time. She may want to think about what she's going to say to you when you say you're quitting and it may be valuable for both of you. Just my opinion; there's no right or wrong here.

Yes you are right I just decided to email her and let her know it's going to be my last session and I will be going over the reasons why when I see her.

Also

There was that little devil wanting to say oofta to her and wait till the end of the appointment to tell her this is 'it'.

But

I decided to let my grown up self take charge and make the decision to email her

I think email or beginning of session is good, because you will need one "closure" session. If you wait till the end she will want to schedule 1 more session to discuss termination.

I'm glad you decided to do that, Geez. I'm sure there would be some satisfaction in springing it on her at the last minute, but I think you might get more out of it if she's prepared ahead of time. I hope it goes well.

Thank you! I hope 'level headed' T shows up for my closing appointment. If not then it's a case in point of why it's 'over'.

I like the choice you went with, I hope it's a good closing session and you can move forward on this

I usually just say "well, this is my last session today" at the end of my last session or just stop making appointments. I like your way better, though.

During my closing session last month t said, she was glad I came because I had said it was going to be hard for me to say goodbye to her! She said that so many people don't turn up for their last session and it hurts her because she likes to have closure!
I think you did right in emailing her and giving the heads up! I just hope she doesn't go all crazy on you:-(
Don't forget to bring your tissues geez!

The client does not have to or need to take care of the therapist's feelings about quitting.

Goodluck with it.

Glad you were able to make a reasonable decision. I personally don't see the sense in a closing session. I am supposed to meet with my t this week and ask for a referral, but I am going to just text him instead.

geez, when my daughter and I terminated with our family T, we told him about 10 minutes into the appointment. This left us enough time to review our progress, consolidate my gains, say our thank yous, get closure, etc. We had been in therapy with him for about 9 months. We had a good relationship with this T and he was good at helping close things out with us in a meaningful way. They have done termination many times so the T will know the drill. Good luck at your last session.