Abstract

This phenomenological study looked into the lived experiences of drama therapists during forced termination in therapy. Through in-depth interviews, it aimed to understand how forced termination impacts both the therapist and client, from the therapist’s perspective, and how drama therapists handle the termination process. The study illustrated that handling termination can be a challenging process for the therapists, where a lot of complex emotions arise. So, in order to facilitate better termination, thoughtful planning and self-care are needed to better prepare oneself to go through the process. Moreover, negotiating between professional boundaries and personal boundaries appeared to be an essential practice while handling the ending with clients. Finally, drama/creative art therapy interventions are found to be helpful in processing the difficult feelings and wrapping up the therapeutic process.