Patients contact a therapy practice when something in their life is hard. The person who answers sets the tone for the whole relationship.
Phone
- Answer with the practice name and your name: “Riverside Counseling, this is Ana. How can I help?”
- Verify identity before discussing anything (see “HIPAA & patient privacy”).
- Let the caller finish. Take notes: dates, names, what they’re asking.
- Before you hang up, summarize what happens next and when.
- Return every call the same business day, even if only to say “I’m still working on it.”
Email and patient portal
- Reply within one business day. Short, warm and specific.
- One topic per message. Put the answer first, then the details.
- No PHI in subject lines. Use the secure portal for anything about care or balances.
- Never use slang, emojis or all caps. Read it once more before sending.
Conversations with patients in distress
You are not the clinician, and you don’t need to be. You need to be calm, kind and clear.
- Slow down. Lower your voice and pace. People tend to match the other person.
- Name the feeling. “It sounds like this has been really stressful.”
- Don’t argue the facts yet. First make sure they feel heard.
- Move to what you can do. “Here’s what I can do right now.”
- Give a specific next step with a date or time.
If insults continue after one calm attempt, set a boundary: “I want to help you with this. If the language continues I’ll need to end the call, and I can call you back this afternoon.” Then follow through, document it, and tell your lead.
Safety comes first
If a patient mentions harming themselves or someone else, stop everything else and follow the practice’s crisis protocol immediately: notify the clinician or practice lead and, in the US, share the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline when appropriate. Stay on the line if the protocol says so. Document what was said.
Knowing when to escalate
| Situation | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| A question you can answer | You | Same day |
| Refund, write-off or policy exception | Practice billing lead | Within 1 business day |
| Complaint about the clinician or care | Practice manager | Same day |
| Possible privacy incident | Privacy officer / your lead | Same day |
| Possible risk statement | Clinician / crisis protocol | Immediately |
Each practice has its own matrix. Learn it in your first week.