Supporting your clients through the intake process and preparation for their treatment program requires clear communication and a concise approach.
Take control of your schedule and calendar from your desktop or mobile app. Use automated appointment reminders and our fully integrated video calling tool to maximize your productivity.
Store all your patient information, clinical notes, and documentation safely in your secure clinic system. We autosave, so you'll never lose work again.
Carepatron online or mobile payments make it easier for your clients to pay for your bills. You save time a massive amount of time while getting paid twice as fast. What a great way to improve your day and cashflow!
Starting your first counseling session with a client can feel considerably daunting, as after all, every healthcare practitioner wants to make a good first impression. While there are a variety of factors that go into preparing for your first counseling intake sessions, it can be helpful to establish a counseling plan to guide you through, and help you build a solid foundation. It’s important that you make sure you have all the right information, and that you have a solid direction going forward with your client. The first session is all about discovering more about their mental state and creating goals, so coming prepared with an open mind, and armed with therapeutic techniques and strategies, is an excellent way to get you started on the right foot in your counseling practice.
Preparing before your first session is vital to the success of understanding and connecting with your patient. You need to ensure that you have set aside the time to complete all relevant administrative tasks, as well as reviews of your client, to avoid wasting time and to uphold professionality. As a result, this counseling guide has provided you with some top tips to ensure preparedness in your session.
Make sure you have the relevant documents all pre-printed to prevent wasting time. This includes professional disclosure statements to obtain client consent, any social media policies, as well as a release-of-information form if information may be shared with other healthcare providers. If you also prefer to have clients fill out questions before their first sessions, make sure that you have this ready too.
Some clients may already have notes concerning the purpose of their meeting you, and in such cases, you should review these notes to familiarize yourself with the client and their pressing issues. This can provide greater clarity and focus in your sessions, and naturally, it also adds a personal touch to know a client’s background.
You may meet with clients who don’t have a particular goal in mind, so you must have questions prepared to help guide the session.
Before your client arrives in therapy, it’s important to note that if you’re feeling nervous, this is completely normal. Meeting with a client for the first time can be daunting, as you care about their needs and want to make sure this is translated in your conversations, however, it’s good to keep in mind that the client is likely also nervous. The first session is a great opportunity for you to bridge this gap by getting to know them, and what they are recently concerned about. When going through relevant paperwork and documents, you can also begin discussing boundaries, your policies, and why they are in place, as well as any other queries the client may have. All information can be clarified and laid out to clear up any discrepancies, and essentially, you can set the groundwork for what the client should expect with every session. This includes conversations concerning payment and confidentiality. The first session is the easiest way to go over all the nitty-gritty details before discussing mental states with your client, and that way, you can provide your undivided attention. Having full transparency is a great way to build rapport with your client, and with the tips in this online counseling guide, you can reassure them that they are valued and are within a safe space.
Now that you know what to expect when your client arrives, you must incorporate ways to engage them to ensure that you build rapport, trust, and establish a good professional relationship. Whilst it’s one thing to get a client through your doors, it’s another to retain them through good service that promotes value. As a result, we have collated some of the top tips when it comes to client engagement, to ensure that you’re connecting with your clients and prioritizing their health.
The first session is quite different from the following therapist and consulting sessions, as there is quite a bit of administrative paperwork involved. However, you must make sure to greet the client as usual and spend some time validating whatever emotions they have and acknowledging that it can feel weird. Anything to help the client feel welcome and comfortable is key, and sometimes being transparent with the question you’re needing to ask goes a long way.
When starting, it’s important to not overwhelm the client or get into extensive details, as these can often be lost in translation. It’s certainly important to identify the client’s main concerns, and pose follow-up questions to provide direction for future sessions. However, more in-depth evaluations must be left to the remaining sessions. The first meeting helps with more of a broad understanding of the client’s issue, and you should not aim to immediately treat the whole scope within the first session.
It’s important that you thank the client, and show appreciation for their willingness to meet with you and discuss their concerns. This can be a very daunting process for many clients, so you must empathize with them and their experiences. You should also provide feedback in terms of letting them know what you’re thinking and any potential diagnosis. Doing so allows them to see your expertise, and that you are recognizing their concerns, and validating their anxieties.
When sharing your expertise, you must let the client know of any potential plans so they are aware that there is concrete treatment in the development stage. This does not mean you have to construct a full-fledged treatment plan on the spot, however, you should share ideas with your client. Framing ways that could help the client in terms of ‘we’ can create a sense of teamwork, and you can also provide an honest timeline for the client to have some confidence in. Before drafting detailed strategies and plans, you should work with the client to gauge some ideas that could work for them.
It’s important to ask whether the client has any questions for you, and to take the time to answer them. Being as transparent as possible is a great way to build rapport and establish professional relationships, and is an excellent way to wrap up the session.
When you finish the therapy session, there are multiple factors that you must consider to ensure it ends well, and that your client feels comfortable going forward. Firstly, you need to think about whether you can work with the client. Sometimes, you may encounter issues that are outside your expertise and counseling scope, or you may feel like you can’t personally handle the problems presented. In some cases, you may also encounter ethicality or confidentiality concerns that may incur legal repercussions if pursued. Either way, it is entirely normal for cases to be deferred to another healthcare practitioner, and if this is the case, the client needs to be notified so they have the appropriate price updates. Additionally, following the close of your first therapy session, you should consider whether you want to assign homework for the client. This could entail journaling or meditation exercises, which could be used for the following session, so you should discuss with your client whether this is a viable option. As a final consideration, you may want to direct your client to relevant resources, especially if given a diagnosis within this first session. Implementing all of this evidence is likely to result in positive reviews from your counseling patients, and solid professional relationships.
The first counseling session can be daunting for all parties involved, and for clients, there is a big expectation that you know exactly what you’re doing. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to prepare for client sessions, and in a way that prioritizes their health, and develops professional healthcare relationships. You can cover all relevant information, whilst getting to know and understand your clients, and creating a welcoming environment for them to acknowledge, recognize, and treat their mental health concerns. Engagement is key when it comes to attracting and retaining your patients, as well as working collaboratively to genuinely overcome and address concerning health issues; and so we hope that this guide has helped consolidate such aspects. Connecting with clients in the first session is a rewarding achievement, and so being able to facilitate these conversations is an excellent asset to have.
Further reading:
