You Quickly Slide Your Fee Fearing Your Clients Termination
When “life happens” for our clients, it can affect us too. Most often we’ll have clients that can afford our therapy fee, without any issues. But when things change all of a sudden, like when clients lose their employment, or have an unexpected expense to pay for, then we can quickly be “out of a job.”
How do you react when these situations happen? I know I’ve reacted out of fear and anxiety, in believing that if I don’t hold onto my client, then I won’t be able to pay my expenses. So guess what, I would quickly slide down my therapy fee, before having any time to think this over. At first, I’d feel grateful when my clients would accept this new lower fee, but I would end up resentful over time. I was dealing with a scarcity mindset, rather than focusing on the belief that I could replace these clients, with those who can afford my full fee.
I know that we can quickly attach ourselves to our clients, with whom we have a strong therapeutic connection with. So it can be hard to let them go. But I’ve learned that we don’t need to sacrifice our finances, to help out our clients in this way. Instead we can prepare our clients, to transition to a new therapist and have time to do closure.
Here’s three reminders to not self sacrifice your finances for your clients.
Remind yourself that you’re not the only therapist, that can help your clients. There are plenty of amazing therapists out there, who have availability and who do offer sliding scale.
Remind yourself that you are not a counseling agency or a non-profit organization. We do not have to provide our clients with a sliding scale, especially if it’s not a part of your business policy.
Remind yourself that just because you have a great therapeutic relationship with your client, you are not obligated to make it financially work, to fit your client’s budget. It’s okay to protect yourself financially.
So the next time you have a client that can no longer afford your therapy fee, make sure to explore helpful options that doesn’t end up costing you more! Always remember you can provide them with the right referrals, so they can get the continued support they need.