You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
This paper continues a conversation begun in this Journal between Pierre Cachia, as therapist, and Jill Scharff, his writing partner (Cachia & Scharff, 2013). Their account of a couple who lost joy focused on a turning point in the mid-phase of therapy. In this article, the authors focus on the planned ending of that couple's therapy. Ideas on ending from the individual analytic literature are discussed in terms of their application to couple therapy and various criteria are presented for consideration when assessing whether a couple is ready to finish treatment. Pierre Cachia presents the process of a late phase session to illustrate in detail the theory and technique of a planned ending of couple therapy. In a shared voice, the authors conclude by tying theory and clinical example together.