You may hesitate to turn clients away from your services when they ask for help. However, not taking on certain clients can be for the better. Sometimes your services may not be right for them, or the foundation for a good therapist and client relationship isn’t there.
But how do you turn away clients? Here’s an overview of why therapists may turn away clients and how to do it.
Why Should a Therapist Say No to a Client?
As a therapist, you may feel duty-bound to take on every client. It’s important to you to help as many people as possible. However, this can be a great way to save a client from a bad therapy experience and for you to help those that need your specific services.
There are several reasons why you may turn clients away, including:
- You’re completely booked and can’t take on any more clients
- You have therapist burnout that is affecting your work
- You don’t take their insurance or have available sliding-scale fee services
- You’re treating someone they know
- You’re not a good fit personality wise or based on the services they need
These are common reasons you may feel inclined to turn a client away. It’ll be helpful to identify why you can’t help them before turning them away so you can explain it to them. You can also help them find a therapist that would be right for them.
How to Turn Away Clients
Turning them away can be challenging as they may be reserved about it and could feel negatively about your decision. But there is a way to help explain why you’re not taking them as a client. A good technique for turning away clients includes:
- Explaining why you are not a good fit for them
- Explaining whom they can see instead and why they’re in a position to help
- Techniques they could do for self-care while connecting with another therapist
