“I reached out to so many providers and no one called me back!” The previous statement is one I hear often. Too often actually. I did a small social media post on this back in December 2020 when I heard it 3 times in one day. It’s a pet peeve of mine! I am not placing blame on one party but thought it might be helpful to shed some light from both perspectives. We all need to do better.

To prospective patients reaching out to start or learn more about therapy…

YOU’RE AWESOME! Great job reaching out! It takes courage to start the search for a therapist and even more courage to make the call.
Leave a message. To maintain confidentiality and to keep you safe, I will not call back a missed call/number where no message has been left. I actually have a feature on my work phone that doesn’t show me missed calls. If you don’t leave a message, many providers will not call you back. Also, provide a call back number. I realize we all forget what it was like prior to caller ID, but without a callback number, I cannot call you back.
Availability. In your message, let me know some days and times that you are available for me to call back. If I can make it work, I will call during those times. If not, when I leave you a message I will provide some times I currently have available to talk as well. I cannot promise that nothing will pop up during those times. However, at the time that I am leaving the message on your phone, I am available to talk. Nothing is more annoying than playing “phone tag.”
Check your voicemail. I cannot tell you how many times I will call someone back only to hear that their voicemail is full and I cannot leave a message. I will attempt to call back at a later time, but after the second attempt, I have to move on to the next person. It’s 2021, you would think technology would have a notification to tell us when our voicemail is full! Side note, I also found out that on some phones even AFTER you delete the messages, you have to delete them from the trash as even the deleted messages take up space. Hmmm…
E-Mail. If you feel comfortable and if it’s an option to e-mail a provider, do it. I have found that it’s usually easier to communicate via e-mail to find a mutual time to talk over the phone than leaving messages back and forth.

Providers are inundated with phone calls right now and it might take longer for them to get back to you. However, a provider simply not returning your phone call is not okay.

To providers who are getting phone calls for therapy services...

YOU’RE AWESOME! Keep up the great work. We are all here to support one another.
Full or not accepting new patients. If you are currently full or not accepting new patients, it might be helpful to leave that on your voicemail. Personally, I don’t do this as I want to call back the prospective patient and provide an appropriate referral source. However, the key phrase is, “call back…”.
Estimated call back time. Leaving an estimated time in which you return phone calls and when a prospective patient can expect to hear back from you is helpful. My voice message states that I return all phone calls within 2 business days. If you have called me and have not heard back from me during that time, I didn’t get your message.
Days off. If you have days off other than the weekend, including that in your voice message may be helpful. If you are going away for an extended period of time, it would be helpful to include that time frame as well so prospective patients don’t think you are ignoring their phone call.

The pandemic has only increased the need for mental health services and people are desperate for help at times. Communicate to current and prospective patients when they can hear back from you so they are not left with yet another unknown.

This pandemic has changed (and continues to change) a lot of things for many people. Mental health concerns are on the rise and people are seeking out therapy now more than ever. With that being said, providers are often inundated with phone calls and maxing out their appointment availability. We can all do better and can support each other. Patience and communication are key.