In today’s Information Age, therapy clients are more informed—and have greater expectations up front—when it comes to the look and feel of therapy. And many times, if they don’t see concrete results or momentum in the first few therapy sessions, they’ll bail.
According to Lynn Grodzki—clinician and business coach for therapists—practitioners can meet these challenges head-on by being more transparent about what therapy entails from the very first session.
Here, she describes what you can do to show clients that therapy has been worthwhile.
As Lynn explains, many clients might walk away from sessions unsure of what they’ve accomplished. Outlining main points and takeaways at the close of sessions not only instills confidence, but can strengthen the therapeutic alliance and lead to more positive and powerful client transformations.
Today’s private practice work poses many challenges you probably didn’t learn about in graduate school. But that doesn’t mean that meeting the modern demands of clients is beyond your reach.
Lynn Grodzki
Lynn Grodzki, LCSW, MCC, is a psychotherapist in private practice, a master certified coach, and the author of Therapy with a Coaching Edge: Partnership, Action and Possibility in Every Session and Building Your Ideal Private Practice.
Rich Simon
Richard Simon, PhD, founded Psychotherapy Networker and served as the editor for more than 40 years. He received every major magazine industry honor, including the National Magazine Award. Rich passed away November 2020, and we honor his memory and contributions to the field every day.
