The Getting-It-Right Scripts for Therapists

As a new solo practitioner, the one question that I dreaded dealing with more than any other was... the money question. How much do you charge? Do you take insurance? Are you on my Preferred Provider List? Although it came in different words, it was there in every phone call. And, in the beginning, there I was dreading the question, tripping over the answer, and feeling like a fake every single time. It literally took me years to learn how to finesse that initial conversation from an anxious caller with a legitimate question about money into an eager new client booking an appointment to work with me! Eventually, I learned enough about yes sets in marketing and in clinical practice (thanks to Ericksonian hypnosis) to turn that cycle around which was not only in my best interest but also in the best interest of my clients!

These days, I rarely get a call that doesn t neatly convert to a happy and paying client. And, now I m going to show you exactly what to do to make that happen for you, too. My hope is that you will take the scripts below and tweak them to sound more like your words and your policies and practices. In doing so, I hope to save you from years of awful-izing and dread and stuttering over why potential clients should choose you and not struggle over the fee for your professional services. Blessings to you on your journey! Tamara

The Initial Script Begins Here... Therapist: Hi! This is Tamara. May I help you? Introduce yourself in the way that you want your clients to address you. Yes. My name is.... I m looking for a therapist. Do you take insurance? When clients call they are often worried about a lot of things their time, their families, their jobs, their sanity, and money. Therapist: Hi! Thanks for calling! How did you get my name? Oh, one of your colleagues is a friend of mine Susie Johnson. Therapist: Oh, good! That s helpful to know. You asked if I take insurance and I m happy to talk with you about insurance and money. This is always the first question I ask. I want to know how this client got my name and decided to call me. This is not the time to let your client be in control. Take charge of the conversation and direct it where you need it to go. From both a clinical and marketing perspective, deferring the conversation about insurance and fees is best left until after you have ascertained whether or not you can be helpful to this client. But, before I do that can you talk to me a little bit about what you re looking for so that I ll know if I can even help you? Page 4 of 17

(And, if I can t help, then I ll at least be able to point you in the right direction to get help What s going on that caused you to call me today? If you do not work with this client, then there s no need to have that conversation about money. If this client does want to work with you and you deem it appropriate, then it s better to have the money conversation after the clinical concerns have been addressed. By sequencing your conversation in this way, you have more time to build rapport with the caller. I think of that rapport as glue between you and your new client. Well, the reason I m calling is... (blah, blah, blah). Page 5 of 17

If the Fit Is Good Script - Continue Here.... Therapist: Oh, good! That is definitely something I can help you with. Can you tell me a little bit about what happens if this doesn t change? Sure! If this situation stays like it is right now.... (Blah, blah, blah.... ) Therapist: And, what happens if it actually gets worse? Allow her time to tell what she needs to tell. Ask the questions you need to ask to get enough information to be able to make a good guess about the fit for you and this client. Be honest and encouraging. Your job at this point is to offer truthful hope. Show your interest and don t rush to the solution. Oh, my gosh! I don t even want to think about it getting worse! Use this part of the conversation to help the client fully see and fully express the extent of the problem. Therapist: I certainly understand why you wouldn t want to think about that but it s important for me to understand how bad this situation could get for you. Again, don t rush. Help your client fully understand the consequences of not seeking help. Well, OK.... If this gets worse then.... (Blah, blah, blah.... ) Page 6 of 17

Therapist: Oh, I see now! And, can you imagine what will be different once you resolve this issue? Yes! I can! I know I ll be able to... (do whatever) and... will be different and my family will be able to.... Therapist: OK, so I hear you talking about several different things. When you were talking about... I think I heard you saying that you need help with... (problem X). Is that correct? A lot of my clients struggle with this and one of the things I can do to support you in this is.... Make sure your client knows that you understand what she is experiencing. Now is the time to help your client explore what might be possible once she gets help. This is how your client knows that you are paying attention. Use her words and not your clinical psychobabble to describe the different problems that you hear her talking about. This is you offering proof that you can help. This is you offering hope. And, this is where you help her see that you really do know what you re doing... that you really do have a roadmap or bridge and can help her get across the abyss. I also heard you mention... (problem Y) and... (problem Z). Is that correct? And, here s how I m thinking that I can help you with these, too.... Page 7 of 17

You may find that by working on... (problem X), you ll be able to do... (achieve client s goal) more easily. Therapist: Does it seem like I m understanding your situation and might be helpful to you? This is checking in to make sure you are on track with her. Yeah. You sound like you re getting the picture. Therapist: Great! So you started off this call by asking about my fees and insurance. The fee for my services is.... You will pay me at the beginning of each appointment. You can pay me by check, cash, or use your credit card. If you want to pay by credit card, I will invoice you via PayPal. Each time we meet, I will provide you with a receipt. Do NOT make your client bring this subject up a second time. Beat her to it. You are circling back around to the money issues to show that you really are listening and that you really do know that this, too is a significant concern of hers that you take seriously. Explain what your fee is and when you expect to be paid. Make this explanation as clear and as simple as possible. Don t mince words or tiptoe around money. Be clear and matter-of-fact. Explain the different methods of payment that you will accept. Page 8 of 17

Therapist: You should remember that your work with me may be tax deductible as a medical expense even if you choose not to file on your insurance. And, if you wish, you can submit that receipt to your insurance company to seek reimbursement from them. I do not work directly with any managed care or insurance company and I don t submit claims for my clients. Professionals always provide receipts for their services. Many clients don t realize that your fees may be tax deductible. Take the time to educate them. They will appreciate your effort and come to trust you more And, don t forget to come back around to your client s initial question about insurance. Don t be defensive if you do not work directly with managed care. Instead, be matter-of-fact, up front, and clear. Oh, I ve never submitted a claim to my insurance company before. I don t know how to do that. Therapist: I can coach you through the process if that s what you decide to do. Many of my clients prefer to not have their work with me known to their insurance company; however, I also Be helpful. Take the time to learn what you do not know about seeking reimbursement from managed care. And, be willing to advocate for your clients empowering them to speak up for their own best interests with you taking a supportive role. It s the ethical thing to do. Page 9 of 17

have many clients who are regularly reimbursed for a portion of my fees. If you are not going to work directly with managed care, then be prepared to explain why and without apology.. Just let me know if you need any help! OK. That would be great! Therapist: I know we ve talked quite a bit on this call and I want to be respectful of your time. If you think that you would like to make an appointment right now, then I m happy to do that. Or, if you are therapist shopping and you want to check out other therapists before you decide who to work with, I m good with that, too. Keep control of the phone call. You are in charge and you need to bring the conversation to an end. Give your client an opportunity to make an appointment with you. But also give your client permission to check out other therapists before making that initial appointment. This is in your client s best interest and in your best interest, too. What would you like to do? I already know that I want to work with you. Let s make an appointment now. Let your client know that you are not pressuring her to work with you and that you are OK if she needs some time to think about her options before she makes a choice. Page 10 of 17

Therapist: Great! Do you prefer mornings or afternoons? Mid-mornings work best for me. Therapist: OK, on Monday, on... (suchand-such a date) I have an opening at 10 am. Or, on Wednesday I could see you at 11:30 am. Monday at 10 am would work. Therapist: Great! So next Monday, (such-and-such a date) at 10 am I ll see you at.... I typically see my clients for one hour appointments. Don t ask What day would you like to come in? even if you don t yet have one client. Give your client choices in pairs i.e. morning or afternoon, Tuesday or Friday, etc. However, for the initial session, if it s OK with you, I would prefer to see you for an hour and a half. That s because we will spend this first session getting to know each other better. Page 11 of 17 In this way you are maintaining some control over your schedule and you are also giving the impression that you are busy (whether or not you are busy seeing clients) and that your time is valuable. Once you settle on a date and time for her appointment, make sure that you clearly state it back to her again.

I ll be asking you a lot of questions and you can ask me whatever questions you may have, too. If we get all of that history out of the way in the beginning, it will make our work together go more smoothly down the road. Explain how long you spend in an appointment. Explain what happens in your first session so that your client will understand that it s different than ongoing sessions. Does that sound good to you? Sure! That s fine with me! Therapist: OK, so prior to that appointment, I ll have you go to my website at.... Let your client know what she needs to do to prepare for her first appointment with you. You ll need to download the three documents for new clients to complete. Print them out, read over, complete, and bring them with you to your first appointment. If you have any questions, I ll be happy to answer them at that time. Page 12 of 17

The paperwork is required in order for us to work together so if you forget to complete it or forget to bring it with you, I ll have to have you fill it out again in my office on the clock. And, I doubt that s really how you want to spend your time or money with me. I have my client fill out intake paperwork before they ever come to see me. This allows her time to more thoughtfully answer my questions and prevents them from having to use valuable time with me to fill out that paperwork. Let your client know what to do if she has questions. If you are going to have her complete paperwork before she gets to your office, explain that the paperwork is necessary and legally required prior to beginning work. Also explain what happens if she forgets it. OK, that sounds good. Therapist: Can you think of any other questions or concerns you may have right now? Yes, I was wondering about.... Be prepared to answer other questions that your client has. And, remember... don t rush. Therapist: That s a good question.... Do you have other questions? Page 13 of 17

Not that I can think of. Therapist: Great!... I m looking forward to working with you! I ll see you at 10 am on Monday,... (date). Reiterate once more the date, time and location that your client will be seeing you. If you need anything before then, feel free to call me. End of Conversation Page 14 of 17

If the Fit is Not Appropriate Script, Continue Here.... Therapist: I m really glad you called today because you can definitely get the help you are looking for to... (insert client s goal). However, this isn t something that I work with. Let me give you the name of a couple of my favorite therapists who do really great work in this area. Betty Wow-Wow can be reached at.... Gene Whoopity-do can be reached at.... If my family member was working on this issue, these are the therapists that I would be sending her to. Once you realize that you are not the right therapist for this client, there is no need to continue the conversation. Instead, be helpful and offer the client referrals only to therapists whose work you trust. You are responsible for providing quality referrals. Help this client feel confident about the names of the professionals you are providing. They are amazing! Either one of them will know just how to support you through this. Thank you so much! I appreciate your time. Therapist: You are so welcome! Best wishes on your journey! End of Conversation Be encouraging. Most clients calling you will be anxious, scared, or stressed. Page 15 of 17

That s it! That s all you need to do to get those hesitant clients in your door! If your telephone is already ringing with ambivalent callers and you want to increase the number of clients actually booking appointments with you, I recommend that you commit to personalizing and using this script to speak with your next 25 callers. By the time you get to that last caller, you ll have made these scripts your own and know them by heart. Then, you can throw away my scripts and trust that your callers feel heard, understood, supported and are ready to dive in to working with you! CHECK OUT THE NEXT PAGE FOR 3 BONUS LINKS Page 16 of 17 Copyright 2016 Tamara Suttle

BONUS LINKS And, because it s important to me that you have all the support you need to do the work you are meant to be doing, here are 3 additional links to support you on the telephone with your clients so that you can continue to change the world! Do s and Don ts for Calling Your Clients Coordination of Client Care During Therapist s Absence Oh, Yes You ARE! On Call 24/7! Page 17 of 17 Copyright 2016 Tamara Suttle