SCRIPTS INCLUDED! How to Keep Your Intake Calls Under 10 Minutes, Reliably Book Clients, and Handle Objections without Falling into the Trap of Trying to Prove Yourself

Let’s get clear on the purpose of the initial call you have with a potential client. We usually refer to this call as an intake or consultation call, but I want to change the language around that. It’s really more of a screening and sales call.

We are trying to determine as quickly as possible whether or not we can:

1. Provide a clinically appropriate level of care to this client

2. If we are a good enough fit to move forward with the next step in the process- an initial session. The initial session is where we will do a more in-depth intake or perhaps we have an intake that they complete prior to the first session. Either way, the initial call is not an intake. It’s a screening and sales call.

Too often that first call is something like a mini therapy session. The potential client shares all about what they’re going through and you start more or less providing therapy services on the spot. Before they consent, mind you! Which is a no-no. Before you know it 45 minutes have passed and it doesn’t sound like they’re close to wrapping up yet. Finally, you manage to get down to brass tacks. You share your availability and your fee only to find that they can’t afford it. Or they want to come every other week instead of weekly. Or they can’t pay out of pocket. Forty-five minutes in and now you find out…

Sometimes you give in, tossing your practice policies aside, lowering your fees, which amounts to you feeling resentful somewhere down the line. Or you offer them referrals feeling at least a little disappointed and almost certainly exhausted.

It does not need to be this way. You can keep your initial calls under ten minutes every time and get “yes’s” more reliably.

I’m going to walk you through it.

It begins with you receiving an email. Someone has reached out to you through Psychology Today, your website, or got your contact information from a colleague. They share a bit of information or maybe a lot about what is bringing them in. We’ll work with a fictional example.

Initial Contact

Hi Felicia,

I’m looking for a therapist and I heard about you from a friend whose therapist recommended you. Lockdown has been really hard on me and my drinking has gotten worse. My partner and I fight about it a lot. I’m not necessarily trying to quit. I’d rather figure out how to drink moderately. I have Blue Shield and want to use it. Do you take Blue Shield? Do you have time to meet this week?

Look forward to hearing from you!

Alice

***

Here’s how I respond. You are totally welcome to use any of this. And of course, change it to meet your needs.

***

Hi Alice!

I’m so glad you reached out. That does sound really hard that things with drinking have gotten worse and you’re arguing with your partner. I don’t take insurance, but I can provide you with a receipt if you’d like to pursue reimbursement. I’d love to speak with you more to see how I might help and learn a bit more about you. Before booking the first session with clients I like to have a short call, less than 10 minutes, where we go over logistics and make sure it’s a good fit. Usually, we’re able to get you booked within a week. The next times I can call you are tomorrow, Tuesday, at 10 am and noon or Wednesday at 3:30 or 5. Which time works for you? Remember you won’t need to set aside much time at all. Please make sure to also include the best number for me to reach you at. Alright, I look forward to connecting with you soon!

Warmly,

Felicia

***

Note: If the client had emailed me through the form on my website, they would have already filled out their availability for sessions, how they found out about me, and their email address and phone number.

***

10 Minute Call

So the client gets back to me and we set a time for me to give them a call. I call at the appointed time and this is how it goes.

FELICIA: Hi Alice! This is Felicia. Is now still a good time for us to chat?

ALICE: Yeah! Hi Felicia! I’m just stepping away from my desk real quick.

FELICIA: Sure, no problem. Just let me know if you need a minute. No, okay. Well, I’m so glad you reached out and that we were able to set a time to connect! Now I know you already told me a bit about what’s bringing you in. As I said in the email, our call today will be brief. We’re just trying to determine if it makes sense to move on to the next step of having our first session which is where we’ll really start to get a sense of each other and how the connection feels. So today we’re just making sure that I can support you with what you’re coming in for. That said, would you like to tell me a bit more? What would be important for me to know to make sure I would be able to support you with what you want to work on?

***

Notice how I cue the client over and over again that this is a short call. I explained the purpose of the call. Potential clients don’t know how a screening call is supposed to go and therapists’ handling of this varies widely. If we don’t want a client to dive into their life story, we need to tell them so. When I do this it’s very rare that a person will talk at length and if they do, they have already heard me say repeatedly that this is a short call. So if I do need to interject and shift the conversation, they are less likely to be surprised by that. After they’ve shared a bit more with me, I am able to tell generally if weekly, private practice therapy is an appropriate level of care. If it is and I want to work with them, then I can move forward with sharing about my practice. If I determine they are not a good fit for me, then I offer to provide referrals.

Let’s just say it sounds like such a good fit and I’m super excited to work with the client. Here’s what’s follows:

***

FELICIA: Well, Alice, based on what you’re sharing I think we would actually be a really good fit and I’d love to have you come in for a first session. Of course, we’ll learn so much more once we’re in a room together and have more time. Would you like me to tell you a bit about my practice?

ALICE: Yes!

FELICIA: Great! So my office is located in Duboce Triangle. I see clients Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I meet with my clients weekly, no less frequently than that, for 50-minute sessions, and my fee is $300. My next available openings are Tuesday at 10:30 and 3:30 and Thursday at 11:30. Usually, I just like to get someone in as soon as possible and once we’re in our session, then we figure out what our regular weekly time will be. Which of those times would work for you?

***

Oftentimes people will just let me know what time they want and then I move through a closing sequence. Which is…

***

FELICIA: Okay, I’ve got you booked for Tuesday at 3:30. I’m glad we got our first session set up so fast! When we get off the call you’ll receive a few things from me via email: the intake form, an appointment reminder, and paperwork that you’ll need to read and sign before we meet. You’ll also get all the logistical information you’ll need for our first session. It’s thorough and should tell you everything you need to know. But if after reading that you have questions that need to be answered before we meet, please just let me know and I’ll make sure to get back to you. Alright, that’s everything from me. Is there anything else before we end our call for today?

ALICE: No. Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to it.

FELICIA: Me too! I’m really looking forward to meeting with you and getting to know you better. I’ll see you soon!

***

Yay! That was fun! You just got a new client.

Sometimes it goes a bit differently. There are questions or objections. We’ll go through some of those now.

Objections

Do you take insurance?

No, I don’t. I am able to provide receipts to clients that they can submit to their insurance providers for reimbursement. You typically would need a diagnosis in order to be reimbursed. I don’t diagnose people until after about five sessions and of course, I can’t guarantee a diagnosis. So you would have to be prepared for the possibility that you may not be reimbursed. However, this has usually not been the case for my clients. I would suggest contacting your insurance provider to find out what’s covered. Alternatively, if you have an HSA or FSA my experience is, you can use those funds without needing to have a diagnosis.

That’s really expensive. Most other therapists I’ve talked to charge closer to $150. Do you have a sliding scale?

No, I don’t. That’s unfortunate! I think we could be a really good fit. I understand that’s more than you were expecting. I’m happy to provide you with referrals for lower-fee therapists and clinics. And of course, if something changes, you’re welcome to reach back out.

*** Or let’s say they say something like this. ***

Wow! That’s super expensive! Why is it that much? What are you doing that’s different from other therapists?

Take a deep breath and stay calm.

Oh! It sounds like that was different from what you were anticipating. You’re surprised and maybe even a little confused. My fee is based on what it takes to run my business and make a living that allows me to meet my financial goals. Would you still like to move forward? (Pause. Wait for their answer.)

*** Alternative if you do have a sliding scale and you have spots available. ***

The initial session is always full fee. My sliding scale is need-based. So in order to qualify for my sliding scale, you would need to provide me with some financial information. I can send you a form that you can fill out so I can see if you qualify for that. Would you like to move forward with that? Again, the initial session is always the full fee. So I would ask that you complete the form by the time of our first session. That way if we decide we want to continue, I can review it and let you know if you qualify for a sliding scale.

*** You may have a sliding scale but it’s full in which case... ***

I do have a sliding scale but it’s currently full. Would you be able to meet with me at the full fee? (Pause. Wait for their answer.)

I was thinking I’d rather come every other week or maybe once a month. I was just wanting some help periodically.

Oh, I see! You know some therapists probably know how to work that way and be effective but I haven’t been trained to work in that manner. I do depth therapy and for that, it’s important that I meet with my clients every week. So working with me requires making a commitment to meeting regularly every week at the same time. Of course, we’re not actually agreeing to that right now. We still need to have our first session and you can decide if you would like to commit then.

How do you work? Like what do you actually do with clients?

Well, I’m a somatic therapist which means that I have a special focus on the body and it being a source of wisdom. My website and Instagram have a lot of information that will help you get a sense of how I show up in the room. That would be a great place to check out to get a stronger feel for me and how I work. At the end of the day, it’s the connection between us that is the most important predictor for the benefits of therapy and we will get a feel for each other in that first session.

Conclusion

Notice how there was no excuse-making. No proving. No arguing. Just straightforward communication.

By having conversations like this with our potential clients, we are already demonstrating how we hold a frame, and how we will hold them in their healing. We know how to show up for ourselves and what our boundaries and needs are. We are modeling radical honesty without an apology for our clients.

I hope you use these scripts and templates and make them your own. I’d love to hear your versions! Please share them with me.