When is therapy finished?

Unless your therapy was set up for a fixed number of sessions, there’s usually no set end date. Therapy is usually finished when you and your therapist agree it is. No score or session count decides that for you. The question can come up because things are better, because the money or the sessions are running out, or because you’d simply like to stop.

How people usually decide

A review of 15 studies compared how many sessions people had with how much they improved. The two didn’t line up (Bone and colleagues, 2021). People who had longer therapy tended to start with more going on, and to change more slowly. The researchers think people and their therapists tend to finish when things are “good enough”. That point comes sooner for some people than for others.

A Canadian survey asked 693 people why they had finished therapy. The most common answer was feeling better (Westmacott and Hunsley, 2010, on reasons for finishing). Others finished because they wanted to handle things on their own, or because they weren’t happy with the therapy.

If your therapy has stopped moving rather than come to a natural end, why therapy stalls covers what can be behind that.

Things to talk over with your therapist

• What you came for. “Can we look back at what I came in for and where it’s got to?”
• What’s still there. “Is what’s left something to keep working on here, or something I can carry on with myself?”
• What you’d do if things got harder. “If this starts coming back, how would I notice, and what would I do?”
• How you feel about finishing. “I’m not sure how I feel about finishing.” Mixed feelings about ending, including sadness or relief, are something therapists expect to talk about.
• Something new. “Something else has come up that I’d like to work on.” Therapy can change focus rather than finish.

What a planned ending usually involves

Experienced therapists from different approaches broadly agree on what a planned ending includes. Usually that means looking back at what has changed and talking about how you feel about finishing. It also means thinking ahead to what might be hard later, and how you’ll keep using what you’ve learned.

Some therapists suggest spacing sessions out before the last one, so you get a feel for life without them.

In one set of interviews, people who had talked their ending through in advance mostly found it a good experience. People whose therapy ended suddenly, usually after a strain in the relationship, mostly didn’t.

When the sessions or the money run out

What happens when the sessions or the money run out depends on how you’re paying. Whichever it is, an ending set by money or a session limit can still be planned with your therapist.

• Paying the full fee. This includes seeing a counsellorCounsellor Someone trained to help people talk through and work on difficulties. The title isn't protected in Australia, so it's worth checking a counsellor's training and registration. Medicare doesn't give a rebate for counsellors. More in the jargon decoder Close or psychotherapistPsychotherapist Someone trained in therapy, often for longer-standing patterns. Like counsellor, the title isn't protected in Australia, and Medicare doesn't give a rebate for psychotherapists. More in the jargon decoder Close, since MedicareMedicare Australia's public health insurance scheme. For mental health, it gives rebates on sessions with psychologists and some other professionals, usually through a Mental Health Treatment Plan. More in the jargon decoder Close doesn’t cover them. There’s no session limit, so the limit is what you can keep paying. You can ask your therapist about meeting less often, or whether they offer a lower fee.
• A workplace program or community service. These tend to come with a set number of sessions, and workplace programs usually run to three to six. As you get near the end, ask the service where you could go next.
• headspaceheadspace A national youth mental health service for anyone aged 12 to 25, with centres around Australia and support online and by phone. It's free or close to it, you don't need a referral or a parent, and you can book it yourself. More in the jargon decoder Close. Brief support is free and usually runs to around four to six sessions. Up to 16 counselling sessions are bulk-billed, which means free if you have a Medicare card. The service is for people aged 12 to 25, so ask your centre what comes next well before your age takes you outside that. headspace and services for 12 to 25s has more.
• A Mental Health Treatment PlanMental Health Treatment Plan A document your GP writes with you. It makes you eligible for a Medicare rebate on up to ten individual sessions a calendar year: six, then a review with your GP, then the remaining four. The plan itself isn't therapy. More in the jargon decoder Close. A plan from your GPGP (general practitioner) For most people, where getting help starts. A GP can write a Mental Health Treatment Plan, prescribe medication and refer you on, and some are trained to deliver a small number of structured therapy sessions themselves. More in the jargon decoder Close gives you a Medicare rebateRebate The amount Medicare pays back towards a session. It comes back to you after you've paid, so what you pay yourself is the fee minus the rebate. More in the jargon decoder Close on ten individual sessions a calendar year: six, then a review with your GP before the remaining four. Up to ten group sessions a year are rebated separately, on top of those. The GP review is a good point to talk about whether to keep going. Ten sessions a calendar year is a funding limit, not a judgement about how much therapy anyone needs.

Whichever way you’re paying, a group is usually a cheaper way to keep going. Some therapists run groups themselves, sometimes using the same approachApproach (modality) The kind of therapy someone uses, such as CBT or psychodynamic therapy. You'll also see it called a modality. More in the jargon decoder Close they’ve been using with you, so it’s worth asking yours whether they run one or know of one.

Moving, a new job or other changes can end therapy too, and those endings can still be talked through and planned. Free and low-cost options covers other ways to keep going, including university clinics and community services.

If your therapist brings it up

In private practice, your therapist is paid for each session. The code of conduct for psychologistsPsychologist Someone trained to assess mental health problems and treat them with therapy. It takes at least six years of study and supervised practice, and they're registered with Ahpra, the national regulator. Psychologists can't prescribe medication. More in the jargon decoder Close sets out what’s expected when therapy ends (Psychology Board of Australia, 2025). It expects psychologists to:

• provide therapy only while you’re likely to benefit from it, and stop when you’re not
• try to avoid ending abruptly and, where possible, decide with you when to finish
• help you find someone else if they have to stop seeing you
• tell you that you can withdraw your consent at any time
• avoid encouraging services you don’t need

The code covers registeredRegistered For psychologists, psychiatrists and occupational therapists, registration with Ahpra is required, and using the title without it is an offence. Counsellors and psychotherapists can register with their national associations, which is voluntary. More in the jargon decoder Close psychologists only. Counsellors and psychotherapists who belong to a professional association follow that association’s code instead, and who does what explains the difference.

If your therapist raises finishing and it feels too soon, say so: “I’d like to keep going for now. Can we talk about what I still want to work on?”

If you’d rather just stop

You can stop whenever you choose. Telling your therapist, even in a short message, gives them a clearer picture of how things stood when you finished. When people stopped without deciding it together, their therapists often knew only part of the story. They might not have known how much the person had improved, or how unhappy they had been with the therapy (Westmacott and colleagues, 2010, on therapists and clients).

Telling your therapist something isn’t working has words for saying you want to stop.

If something your therapist did was harmful, you don’t owe them a conversation. When therapy goes wrong covers what you can do.

If wanting to stop has come with a feeling that nothing is going to help, tell your therapist or your GP about that feeling too.

Going back later

Experienced therapists generally leave the way open for you to come back. What going back involves depends on how you were paying. You can see a psychologist without a referralReferral A letter from a GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician that you need for the Medicare rebate. You can see a psychologist without one if you pay the full fee. More in the jargon decoder Close if you pay the full fee. If you were using a Mental Health Treatment Plan, a workplace program, headspace or a community service, ask your GP or that service.

If things are difficult right now, Lifeline is on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service is on 1300 659 467, and Kids Helpline is on 1800 55 1800 for anyone aged 5 to 25. In an emergency, call 000. Crisis and emergency support has the full list.

Where next

If you’d like to see someone different next time, finding a therapist covers where to look.