How and when should I first contact my new client?

Your initial contact with your client is their first point of clinical contact with you. Your first interactions with clients matter and are crucial in building rapport and setting accurate expectations for what they can expect while working with you on the platform.

When you first receive your client, we recommend the following steps:

1. Ensure that your client’s Informed Consent and Emergency Contact information are completed.

• • Clients should be prompted to fill this information out prior to being matched with a provider to start treatment, but it is best practice to verify completion of these items prior to getting started with them. For more information on locating & requesting Informed Consent and Emergency Contact information, please see:
    • Where can I find the client’s Informed Consent?
    • Where can I find Client Intake and Emergency Contact Information?

2. Review their Customer Information.

• • In order to utilize the platform, clients are expected to complete the customer information section and update it when necessary (i.e. full name, date of birth, address & phone number). Although they are required to complete this information, it is still up to the provider to verify the information is correct with the client. This is their medical record and it is important that all information listed in the record is accurate and that of the individual you are meeting with. You can find the customer information in the client room by going to Case → Customer Information.

3. Review the Clinical tab for potential risk factors

• • When clients complete the intake questionnaire, there are a few questions that ask about SI/HI. Clients can 1) deny experiencing these things, 2) endorse them within the last 30 days, or 3) endorse them more than 30 days ago. Pay attention to the date listed when clients reported this information and make sure to connect and assess potential risk with your new clients before determining their needs. For additional information on assessing risk, please review the Handling Emergencies section of the Help Center.

4. Message your client within the first few hours of being matched

• • If the client has not completed the informed consent, they will not be able to message with you or engage in therapy, but it is still important to send them a welcome message and highlight the need to complete the informed consent before therapy can begin.

Intro Message Guidance and Beyond

Our research shows that clients build a better relationship with their provider and stay longer when the first message is:

• Prompt, ideally sent within the first 3 business hours of being matched
• Personal
• Expresses warmth and empathy
• Meets the client where they are

What to include in your intro

• Support/Validation
  It is helpful to include a greeting at the beginning of your introduction message and to validate the client's decision to start therapy. This can assist in creating an atmosphere of safety, encouragement, and comfort from the very beginning.

• Expectations for Therapy at Talkspace

• • Working days/hours:
    It is important to inform clients of your working days and hours so that they know when they can expect to receive responses from you. Remember, Talkspace providers are expected to engage with actively messaging clients five days a week as part of our contracts with payors and clients.

• • Client plan details:
    Explain the modalities available (live vs. asynchronous) based on the client’s plan and explore which ones the client prefers. Additionally highlight if there are any limitations related to session number or plan expiration. Remember that we must honor the client’s preferences if it is included in the plan. Plan type impacts how a client may use the platform. Please see the following article for additional information on plan types:
    • What is included in my Client’s plan and how do I know if my Client has Live Sessions?

• • Frequency of responses:
    If asynchronous messaging therapy is an option with their plan, set the expectation from the beginning that this type of messaging therapy is not live/immediate and that you will be responding to messages only within your working hours on your working days (your designated 5 days a week). It is important to let your clients know that they can expect at least one response from you per day within your working hours.

• • Crisis resources:
    It is important to inform clients that if they are in crisis, there are resources available for them to utilize. This may include the national suicide prevention hotline, 988, 911, emergency room, and ProtoCall: 1-800-435-2197. You may also want to include a link to these crisis resources: https://bit.ly/2SZHGvg. Additional information can be found in the articles below:
    • What is ProtoCall and how can it be used by Talkspace clients?
    • How do I send a Mandatory Clinical Protocol script?

• Questions about the client’s preferences
  Ask the client their preferences for therapy or their thoughts about anything you have shared. For example one client may prefer live chats over live sessions; another may want asynchronous messaging AND live video sessions. Clients may have questions about this process; it is good to give them the space to ask!

Within your intro message, there will be information that you want to share with every client you meet, though it is also important to personalize the intro with specific information related to your unique client. We encourage you to create your own intro messages and save them within the script section of the platform. This will serve as a good starting point for new clients and easily allow you the opportunity to personalize them based on each client. Here is an article that shares additional information about using scripts on the platform: How do I create a script to send to my clients?

Below are some examples of intro messages. Please use these examples to customize your own scripts. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE  these examples for mass distribution.

What to do after your intro

A client’s level of engagement will vary, so your next step will likely vary too! Here are some considerations on how to proceed after the intro:

• Follow up with an audio message
  Sending an audio message to clients helps the process to feel more personal and also demonstrates how this feature can be used on the platform!

• Educate your client
  Many clients who sign up for Talkspace have never received mental health services. It is important to personalize your response while also educating them on the therapeutic process. This continues to assist the client in understanding and setting expectations about the process. This article in Talkspace’s Bookshelf might be useful: What is therapy and why is it important? Clients may be eager to dive into therapy, but it is important to take your time building rapport, conducting the initial assessment, and working collaboratively on a treatment plan.

• Provide reassurance
  Clients may be very nervous about starting therapy and unsure whether or not it will be helpful. Reassuring clients that you hear them and emphasizing that this is a safe space to process their thoughts and feelings are also an important part of expectation setting. Attempting to instill hope can be beneficial and assist with rapport building in the initial stages of your therapeutic relationship.

If you would like additional guidance on how to get started with new clients: