Your clients demand immediate responses at all hours. How can you set clear boundaries?
Managing client expectations in social work requires clear communication and structured boundaries. Here are some strategies to help:
- Establish office hours: Clearly communicate your availability to your clients and stick to it.
- Use auto-responses: Set up email and voicemail auto-responses to manage expectations when you're unavailable.
- Prioritize self-care: Ensure you allocate time for rest and personal activities to prevent burnout.
How do you manage client expectations? Share your strategies.
Your clients demand immediate responses at all hours. How can you set clear boundaries?
Managing client expectations in social work requires clear communication and structured boundaries. Here are some strategies to help:
- Establish office hours: Clearly communicate your availability to your clients and stick to it.
- Use auto-responses: Set up email and voicemail auto-responses to manage expectations when you're unavailable.
- Prioritize self-care: Ensure you allocate time for rest and personal activities to prevent burnout.
How do you manage client expectations? Share your strategies.
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I have an upfront discussion about this upon intake and it is clearly outlined in the client's initial paperwork they complete before they start therapy. If it is non-emergent, I won't respond until working hours. If it repeatedly occurs, I'll have a conversation with the client during our next meeting to discuss this.
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Clients will go as far as you allow them to go. As professionals, it is our responsibility to be clear on our hours and what is and isn’t appropriate. Provide after hour lines they can call for support and remind them to call 911 in an emergency. Our role is to help people be self-sufficient and to utilize the skills they have been learning during the time they spend with us. We are not friends and thus we have to make that clear to clients by being up front.