Informed Decisions with Client Engagement

When working with a client we know we need to understand their expectations. What we need to think about is how we address as many expectations as possible.

Details, time, and patience.

When you have a serious checklist of administration tasks to handle in the first session, you can overwhelm the client. This can be stressful from the clinician's perspective as well -- some clinicians speak to us about feeling "rushed" to deliver the "goods."

The trick, of course, is to provide all of the information that the client needs to make informed decisions, forming a strong foundation for their therapy journey , while at the same time not overwhelming the client. Setting the foundations for better clinical outcomes through consistency, education and boundaries are key drivers to walking through the client journey to the end.

In previous articles we talk about the client journey and ways to change our mindset, to actively follow up with clients, or how to write inactive client letters without making the client feel like they aren't invited to come back if need be.

Each of these lessons are laced with the idea that when we provide the client with information, the client can make informed decisions. When we slow the process of therapy down and really build that foundation of therapy by taking the time to outline expectations and provide information in a way that is not overwhelming, the client can then feel more in control of their journey.

With so much to cover with the client in the first session, we recommend stretching your first session into 1.5 hour session. Ideally, the clinician will work with the client weekly for the first three weeks (minimum) to really build that foundation.

In our Client Engagement course, we also speak about creating client specific handouts that address expectations, explains the client journey and handles some of the clinicians' own barriers to treatment.

When we engage with the client in this manner, we are assisting the client in making informed decisions about their commitment to therapy and their own engagement.

Slow down the "rush," seek commitment and drive informed decisions.

This is part two of our 11 part series around client engagement. Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don't miss any of the series.

#Empowerment #Clientattendance #clientengagement