Some questions for you to consider

I'd like your honest reactions.

I’m going to give you a few scenarios, and I want to you take note of your immediate reaction. How do you feel when you read these scenarios? What is it about your belief system, cultural background, or personal ethics that is influencing and informing your reaction?

Here are the scenarios…

1. A therapist has a 7-day cancellation policy. That is, in order to cancel without incurring a fee, a client must inform the therapist 7 days in advance.

2. A therapist doesn’t have a “first-time freebie” late-cancellation or no-show policy. That is, each no-show/late cancel incurs a fee, starting with the first.

3. A therapist requires that new clients meet on a weekly basis for the first 8 weeks of treatment, after which point they may choose to stay weekly or reduce to every-other week.

4. A therapist declines to schedule once-monthly sessions.

5. A therapist who works primarily with adolescents declines to schedule after-school or weekend hours.

6. A therapist determines their session fee based on the type of salary they need to bring home in order to save for a 4-bedroom house, put their child through college, and plan for two, 2-week vacations + holidays + several personal/sick days each year, rather than basing it on what everyone else in their area is charging.

7. A therapist declines to schedule a last-minute walk-in request during an open hour on their schedule, as they had already scheduled a lunch date with an old friend during that hour.

8. A therapist declines to contract with any insurance panel and accepts self-pay only, which must be paid at the time of service.

9. A therapist decides to stop offering a sliding scale fee, and informs all sliding scale clients six months in advance of this change, after which point they are charged a full fee or given a referral.

10. A therapist only works 3 days per week, 4 clinical hours per day, and spends the remaining 4 days of their week engaged in personal projects, relaxation, and leisure.

Alright. How’d you feel reading those scenarios? What kinds of physical, emotional, and mental reactions did you have?

Did any of these types of thoughts pop into your mind?

• That’s unethical

• I’d never do that

• I’d fire a therapist who did that

• That’s an unkind way to do business

• That’s not very considerate

• That’s kinda cool

• I wish I could do that, but I’d lose my clients

• Nobody would pay me enough to make that work

• I’m not able to work a schedule like that—none of my clients would accept it

• That would never work

• I’m interested in how that would work

• I’d like to make that work

• That sounds really amazing

• Who is this therapist?!

Okay, so let me run through those scenarios again, but we’re gonna tweak one thing…notice how you feel when you read these:

1. A cardiologist has a 7-day cancellation policy. That is, in order to cancel without incurring a fee, a client must inform the cardiologist’s office 7 days in advance.

2. A lawyer doesn’t offer a “first-time freebie” late-cancellation or no-show policy. That is, each no-show/late cancel incurs a fee, starting with the first.

3. A physical therapist specializing in spinal cord injuries requires that new clients meet on a weekly basis for the first 16 weeks of treatment, after which point they may choose to stay weekly or reduce to every-other week, based on the progress and projected outcomes.

4. A business coach declines to schedule once-quarterly meetings.

5. A family doctor who works primarily with adolescents declines to schedule after-school or weekend hours, because she wishes to spend those times with her own children.

6. A self-employed plumber determines their service fees based on the type of salary they need to bring home in order to save for a 4-bedroom house, put their child through college, and plan for two, 2-week vacations + holidays + several personal/sick days each year, rather than basing it on what everyone else in their area is charging.

7. An electrician declines to schedule a last-minute request during an open hour on their schedule, as they had already scheduled a lunch date with an old friend during that hour.

8. A massage therapist declines to split their fee with a doctor’s office and accepts full-rate, self-pay only, which must be paid at the time of service.

9. A freelance video editor decides to stop offering a sliding scale fees, and informs all sliding scale clients six months in advance of this change, after which point they are charged a full fee or given a referral.

10. A freelance copywriter only works 3 days per week, 4 hours per day, and spends the remaining 4 days of their week engaged in personal projects, relaxation, and leisure.

Alright. That’s what I have for you today. More tomorrow.

-Meg