FRIDAY, April 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Mental health clients are less likely to drop out of therapy early when their therapists self-report they are flourishing (doing well across life and work), according to a study published online March 21 in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.
Seungbin Oh, Ph.D., from Boston University, and colleagues examined the association between therapist-level flourishing and burnout with early client dropout (less than three sessions). Analysis included 141 therapists and 12,988 adult clients using a U.S.-based digital mental health network.
The researchers found that 27.8 percent of clients dropped out early, and therapists accounted for 9.4 percent of the variance in client dropout. There was a significant association between therapist flourishing and lower dropout rates (odds ratio [OR], 0.90), but not for therapist burnout (OR, 1.01, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.758 to 1.353). Higher early dropout rates were also significantly associated with more years in practice (OR, 1.02) and larger weekly caseloads (OR, 1.02). There was significantly lower dropout for White clients (OR, 0.827) and White therapists (OR, 0.711).
"If we can improve early retention and reduce inequities in who stays in care, more people can receive the full benefits of psychotherapy and improve their quality of life," Oh said in a statement.