Background: The goal of psychotherapy is to reduce mental distress and create an environment where interpersonal or intrapersonal growth is possible. Sometimes, clients leave the sessions before achieving the full benefits of psychotherapy. Premature dropout is a common experience among therapists. Research on premature dropout is complex and often produces conflicting findings. Much of the research on the causes of premature dropout has been quantitative and client-focused. Therapists and clients can be a valuable source of information about the reasons for clients' early withdrawal.
Aim: The purpose of the present study was to comprehensively investigate the effective factors in premature dropout from psychotherapy and counseling from the perspective of clients and therapists. In the second step, using the results of qualitative research, the most effective factors identified in the incidence of premature dropout from psychotherapy and counseling are extracted. In the third step, we will design a model based on these effective factors in the phenomenon of premature dropout from psychotherapy and counseling. In the final step, the fit indices of this model will be assessed. Therefore, according to the explanations provided, the problem of the present research is what factors play a role in premature dropout from psychotherapy and counseling?.
Methodology: The present study was carried out with three different research designs. The first design: Identifying the effective factors in premature dropout from psychotherapy and counseling from the perspective of therapists. The research method in the first design of the present study was qualitative and it was done by content analysis. The statistical population of the research was all counselors and therapists working in the field of mental health. The location of the research was Bushehr city. The sampling method was non-probability and purposeful according to the researchers' goal and the sampling continued until the t