Transitioning to Closure

There are several tasks that will need to be accomplished with a member that will be terminating membership of an open group. First, members of the group should fully understand how to give notice and what steps need to be taken in order to appropriately terminate themselves from the group. Second, the member that is leaving will need adequate time to prepare emotionally for their departure. Next, other members of the group should have the opportunity to say goodbye. Different cultures view endings differently, and this should be taken into consideration. Lastly, a final individual session or follow-up call should be discussed and potentially scheduled. The group leader will need to get consent for this final session or phone call. Specifically, the group leader will want to review what the member learned during group counseling and how he will implement those things into his life moving forward. Referrals will be made when appropriate (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2010).