Start at the End

When entering a therapeutic relationship one of the most important parts is having the client understand that the time in your care is limited and that either they will have to move on or you will.
Now this does not mean you will never see them again, in fact if everything goes well the next time you see them they will be well integrated in their family, community, school or facility setting.
The difference being is that the hope is you won't be working with them in the same way.
So when running a program or working in an environment where you have only a specific time frame it is very important to constantly remind the client(s) of the end of the program.
This aids in the separation process which will help them understand some relationships are only temporary and that is a normal thing.  Also sometimes its an important one too since we need to celebrate the time we are together with our client.
Here are some great activities during and at the end of your session:

Groups
* Thank you party banner  - The students reveal the banner as each day passes by removing the corresponding day which are in the shapes of stars, suns, balloons or anything that represents the children (i.e. sports balls)
* Farewell Balloons - Have each client make a thank you paper balloon and fill the inside of a card for the departing Staff.

Individual
* Scrapbook of Success - Make a few pages that identify highlights... allow empty pages for them to fill on their own

Have any ideas send them to me or post below