Below is script which includes all the questions to ask during the 15-minute free consultation with your client. We’ve also included some “script” to help you navigate through the consultation and explain finances etc.

Rebound Initial Phone Call Consultation Questions and Script

Purpose of the consultation

-The goal of this call is for me to get to know you a bit better, determine what you’re looking for and of course, answer any basic questions you have! This info will all be used to help find the right fit therapist for you.

Ethical Obligations – All of these must be said.

- On your end, what you need to know is first, just  like any other health practitioner everything you say to me is confidential, unless you tell me you’re a harm to yourself or someone else, or if there is suspected child/elder abuse then I do have to report that so just keep that in mind.

- Secondly I’ll be taking a few notes during our consultation which will be reviewed by myself and the client coordinator team to ensure it is a good fit.

 

Important Consultation Questions:

**1)Generally, what issues are you hoping to address in counselling?

** 2) Have you ever been diagnosed with an emotional or psychological disorder?

**3) Any crises in your life right now?

**4) Have you been to therapy before? What did you like/not like?

**5) Is there anything specific you are looking for in a counsellor?

**6) What is your availability for appointments?  (daytime, evening – be as specific as possible)

**7) How do you hope to cover the cost of counselling? Are you hoping to use benefits or paying out of pocket?  ** See blurbs below for details on finances & how to explain student therapist **

**8) Are you seeking virtual or in person services?

 

Extra Consultation Questions to fill time if needed:

8) Tell me a bit about your day-to-day life – what you do for work/school, Who lives with you in your home? (alone, with parents, with significant other, children)

9) Do you have a quiet, private space in your home to hop on counselling sessions virtually or via phone? (If they do not, brainstorm options with them – i.e. from a car, calling while on a walk etc)

10) Just for our own reference, would you mind sharing with me how you heard about us?

 

Wrapping up:

11) Thanks so much for participating in my 20 questions game (ha ha) Do you have any questions for me?

 

Outline Next Steps – all of these must be said

If you ARE sure it is in your scope: 

• So in our experience, we’ve found this process to be most impactful when clients start out consistently, so we typically recommend booking about 4 sessions out. We recommend this for a few reasons

• Typically there’s a lot of information to get through in the beginning stages of therapy and we want to be able to get through this information and context gathering and get the ball rolling with your goals

• Consistency is key when you’re committed to a steady pacing, there’s increased accountability and follow through

• It ensures that your slot in my calendar is reserved just for you and you won’t have to worry about not finding a slot 

• Of course if anything happens you can cancel your appointments, we just have a 48 hour cancellation policy.
  • What dates/ times work best for you with your schedule?
  • Great!! Looking forward to seeing you on X date

IF you’re NOT sure…  Thanks so much again for meeting with me, what you can expect from here is I’m just going to review this with my supervisor to confirm they believe it’s a good fit, then I will email you later today to follow up! In my email i’ll outline everything you need to know to get started and we can begin sessions whenever you feel ready!



THEN FINISH WITH: Lastly, I always let clients know to keep an eye on your spam folder. Sometimes our emails can end up in there and I don’t want you to miss the email from our team! If you don’t hear from me  within the next 24 hours, check your spam!

Finance Information

Benefit Coverage

every insurance company and plan is completely different.  Do you know what designation your insurance company covers? You’re looking for registered psychotherapist if you want to be covered for my services. If they don’t know, ask them to look into it and get back to you, you’ll also have to follow up with them.

 Explain how finances work for benefits – client pays via e-transfer or credit card, then we provide them with a receipt they can submit for reimbursement from their insurance company

 

Paying out of Pocket

Okay, have you had an opportunity to review my prices on the website?

The typical cost for therapy when working with me is $90(couples is $110) is that a range you are comfortable with?

** FEEL THIS OUT!!! If they’re comfortable, say no more. If they’re not.. offer the sliding scale option*

 

Sliding Scale

So if the $80 is a bit too expensive right now, we do have some options. I do have limited number of sliding scale slots. What that means, is I offer a small discount on services to accommodate those on a budget, who don’t have benefit coverage. What do you think a range that is more comfortable would be?

** Ideally we are looking to land between $60-80 per session. If they need to go lower, we can, but please get that approved by Brittany  first

 

Student Counselling Explanation

 if they want information on what a student counsellor is.

 So our student counsellors are  in the final stages of completing direct client hours for full licensing as a registered psychotherapist. 

They’ve completed all coursework components of my master’s degree in counselling psychology but in the final stages prior to licensing, a student counsellor works under supervision of a psychotherapist in the field.

 

To explain what that means for you, in between sessions, your counselor meets  regularly with their supervisor to make sure they are making the correct decisions with their treatment and interventions – essentially you work with counsellor but have two individuals weighing in on your case, for a really affordable price.

Being that they are less experienced, the rate for affordable counselling is $80/session. I should also mention you’re never obligated to attend super frequently – you come to therapy as frequently as is financially comfortable for you.

During the Consultation

In the consultation itself, we tend to spend a lot of time learning about the client (fair!!!) However, research shows that when we agitate the problem in the client, and provide hope for potential relief, conversions increase. For this reason, we encourage you to focus a lot on the clients presenting problem and their GOALS for therapy, then provide them some insight into how you can help them get there. Instill hope and confidence in the client that YOU are going to work to help them. Of course, don’t forget the important housekeeping items like ethical limitations to confidentiality and what we’ll be doing with the information we obtain.  Let your personality SHINE in the consultation! Clients want a human, not a robot - show them bits of yourselves, look for ways to connect & bond with them, to start establishing that therapeutic alliance.

Book 4 Sessions!

- YIKES! I know super cringey to think about making clients book 4 sessions at the end of session. I was like NO WAY i’m doing that (no joke). But then once I learned about why, it made sense, and made a great impact in my caseload! Research has shown that when you move clients to booking 4 sessions at a time, retention increases by 10% and the average lifespan of a client moves from 6 to 12 sessions. And if you read below, it makes sense as to WHY. Here’s what clients need to know about why they should book 4 sessions.

 

we’ve found this process to be most impactful when clients start out consistently, so we typically recommend booking about 4 sessions out. We recommend this for a few reasons

1. Typically there’s a lot of information to get through in the beginning stages of therapy and we want to be able to get through this information and context gathering and get the ball rolling with your goals.

2. Consistency  and accountability are both key to the therapeutic outcome. When you’re committed to a steady pacing, there’s increased accountability and follow through.

3. It ensures that your slot in my calendar is reserved just for you and you won’t have to worry about not finding a slot.

 

Of course if anything happens you can cancel your appointments, we just have a 48 hour cancellation policy.

* Instill confidence and authority in your abilities - clients often feel more comfortable moving forward when you have a very clear system of what you know works and how best to move forward* Note this is all about messaging and how booking out will be beneficial to the client*

*after each session, book one or two more sessions, so they are always booked out 4-6 sessions away*

*Once they book an appointment, send the client the intake and consent form from their profile in Jane. Ask them to fill it out as soon as they get it so you have it before your session.

*For those that do not book on the consultation call, Research has shown that they are far less likely to book after 3 days has passed, so follow up with them within that time. 

*Another fun fact - research shows that when the first session is booked within 3 days of the consult call, clients are far more likely to follow through and attend! So if this is ever possible - do it!!!

*approximately 50% of clients should be booking directly from the consultation - that's a good target goal (or more!) to shoot for!

Now, thinking about booking 4 sessions out for a client seems very daunting, especially for existing clients haha. So, what I would recommend is trying this with NEW clients. This will also really help you to see your caseload and client availability instead of waiting for last minute bookings. Again, when this becomes your ‘norm’ and your usual process, you become confident and clients feel that! They trust you!