Sherly Raymond is an LMFT in Bronx, New York who wrote me with the following question.
I have an office policy stating to pay at the beginning of
each session. My patients don’t follow this policy and at first I did not feel comfortable reinforcing it. I don’t have a receptionist. What are some ways you would recommend that I address this issue with patients?”
It’s Your Rule
Sherly, you are bringing up a common dilemma for therapists. I, too, require clients to pay for my services at the beginning of our sessions and, when I first started, I also struggled with how to get clients to pay up front.
The problem is not not having a receptionist. The problem is either you forgetting or being afraid to collect fees up front. It’s your rule. Do you have a good reason for it? If so, you may need to remind yourself what those reasons are. And, once you are clear that your rule is a good one, here is what you may want to try . . . .
New Clients
The easiest time to train your clients about your office policies is to start the first time you see them. I say to mine (as we’re walking into the office), “I like to collect fees at the beginning of our sessions. That way we don’t have to cut our sessions short to deal with money issues. So, if you want to write your check before you even arrive, we can maximize our time to work together.”
Current Clients
If you have already let your current clients “slip up” and pay at the end of sessions, you’re going to have to re-train them. It’s simple enough to say “I’m tweaking my office policies and want to begin collecting fees at the beginning of sessions. That means that when you walk in, the first thing I am going to do is take your payment and write you a receipt. If you want to write your check before you even get here, . . . .” And, then, of course, you simply pull your receipt out and finish signing it.
This is how I handle collecting fees and, Sherly, I’m confident that this will work for you, too. Is there anyone who has a different suggestion? If so, I hope you’ll take a moment to share it with us below.
Thank you so much! I am going to give your ideas a try and will keep you posted.
Excellent! I look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Tamara, I have a receipt already made out, and make a simple statement about getting business of the way (before we start our session). It was uncomfortable at first, however find it easier now to stick to ‘my policy’.
As ever – find your posts so very helpful.
Dianne