Should Counsellors Offer Concessions? What to Consider Before You Decide

You became a counsellor to help people. I mean, that's kind of clear and obvious really, isn't it? But when you go into private practice, you will quickly realize that it's not just about helping people. You also have to charge them. And that is where it can start to get sticky. So what do you do when somebody contacts you and says, I really want some therapy, but I can't afford your full fee.

So do you say yes and offer a concession? Do you lower your rate? Do you offer a discount or do you say no, and risk feeling like you've turned someone away who really needs help? Now, this is one of the most emotionally charged questions that we face in private practice, and honestly, I. You're probably going to wrestle with this though. Look, let's have a conversation without judgment because there's no one size fits all answer.

Let's just have a thoughtful chat about whether you should offer concessions or not and how to make peace with whatever you decide to do.

So hi, and welcome to the Grow Your Private Practice Show. I'm Jane Travis. I'm a former counselor and I'm now a mentor and coach for therapists who want to grow a thriving private practice without feeling salesy or feeling overwhelmed.

Now, inside this podcast we talk about all sorts of things to do with ethical marketing. Blogging mindset and getting found by more of the clients that you love to work with. So if you are ready to grow with confidence, you are in the right place. And today we are digging into a really tricky but important topic.

Should you offer concessions in your practice? Let's talk it through. So I suppose the first question is, what do we mean by concessions? So a concession is when you charge a client less than your standard fee, usually based on their financial circumstances. Now, some clients call this a sliding scale.

Others refer it to a, refer to it as a reduced rate rate. Either way, the client is still gonna pay, but at a lower level that is going to make it feel more manageable for them. Now it's different from pro bono work, which is when you offer them, you know, completely free counseling, a concession is still a financial investment for them.

It's just a smaller one, and there is no universal way of doing this. Some counselors offer a set number of concessionary spots. Others adjust their fee based on income or benefits, and some offer short-term reductions. For example, if a client is maybe going through something like a redundancy or a breakup or some sort of crisis.

And in those crisis you might say something like, let's agree on a lower fee for the next four sessions, and then we'll review it. So it's a way of offering some support without taking a long-term arrangement that may become unsustainable for you, now you might be drawn to offer concessions because you want therapy to be more accessible. You know, you might want to support, for example, NHS workers or single parent families or students or people who are struggling and who genuinely need the support. And maybe that was you once, maybe you know how hard it is to ask for help when you are also worried about money.

And this instinct comes from a good place. It comes from a place of compassion and empathy and care. But you know, where do you draw the line? Because this is where it gets a little bit messy because you want to help the single mum. I. But when you really think about it, what's happening to that single dad?

The dad who's probab, very often it's the mother who gets to stay in the, like the marital home or the joint home. But the father has to go and basically just start over again. They might have to go and find a place to live, you know, put, get all new furniture and white goods and all of the rest of it. So ultimately, the dad is the one that might have a.

Less of a disposable income, or you might want to help NHS workers, but what happens if that NHS worker actually is earning more than you? You know? And what about the person that says they can't afford therapy? And so you take them on and you give them a concession and then you find out they're going out away on a holiday. I've had somebody talk to me about the fact that they did that, the client came and negotiated a price and they agreed on it, and that was fine.

And then later through the counseling process, they learned that they'd just come into some money through somebody, leaving some money in a will and that person was then going off on a three week holiday. These are the sorts of things that can actually be. Not very nice because you don't want to be a judge.

You know that's not our role. But you don't want to feel resentment creeping in because that will definitely affect the therapeutic relationship. And let's be honest, you're not here to play detective, but it is your time, your energy, it's your business, and you deserve to earn an honest living. So what might concessions actually look like in practice?

So concessions don't have to be open-ended or vague. So here are some of the ways that they can work. So you might want to offer one or two reduced fee spaces in your practice. So it might say that. It might be that you decide that like, I'm gonna have two people at any time that are paying a reduced fee, and they get that for six weeks.

And after the six weeks, then that price goes back up to the full price and then somebody else who wants that reduced price will be, will be offered that place. So this would involve having a waiting list. So you could do it like that, or you could offer a time limited reduced fee. So for example, you might just say, we are gonna do six sessions at a lower rate, and then you review, or you can use something like a sliding scale that's based on the income that they have or whatever benefits they might receive.

But you have to set really clear boundaries about the range that you are gonna be comfortable with. Okay. And have a written agreement about the fee and when it's going to be reviewed as well. Because the key really is clarity. The more clarity that you have both for you and the client, then the better because it can bring up resentments for you if you realize that you are.

Giving somebody a reduction, which is ultimately like you are paying for that person to come for counseling, and then you find out that they actually do have somebody and they could have afforded it, and that can feel well. It doesn't feel very nice, does it? Now the really important thing to remember is, you know, do you have to offer concessions?

Well, no, absolutely not. There are many, many counselors that choose not to offer a reduced fee at all. Now if you wanted to, to sort of give back as it were, you might choose to do something like, you know, donate to mental health charities or offer some sort of free or low cost resource, like an ebook or something like that.

Or you might offer group programs or workshops and then people can come and access some help at a lower price point. So there are lots of different ways to increase accessibility. Without undercharging, which when you start undercharging, then you can become, you know, overwhelmed and you can start getting burnt out because you're working.

If you need to get the money in, then you're gonna have to see more clients and then you might become burnt out. So the important thing really, the really important thing is to remember that it's all about doing what you choose and that you choose it freely, not outta guilt and not outta fear. Now, one of the questions that is really good to consider, and this is something we should all be talking about, is will clients still value counseling if they pay less?

Now, like I say, this is something I'd really like to talk about openly because it comes up a lot. I've heard it time and time again from counselors that I work with, and I've experienced it myself. You know, when we reduce our fee, especially if you haven't got really clear boundaries, it can sometimes shift the dynamic.

And the client might start doing something like canceling more often or just not showing up and ghosting you, and they might not take the work as seriously. Now, of course, that's not always the case. Of course it isn't. There are gonna be many clients that are gonna be committed to therapy regardless of what they pay. But it is a pattern worth noticing because when we lower the fee, does the perceived value of the therapy change too? Because there's something about fin financial investment that really can help a client to show up more fully.

And this isn't really about being cynical. It's about honoring the process of therapy and recognizing that money can impact that commitment. So it's definitely something to keep an eye on. So how can you offer a reduced fee without feeling as though you're being taken for granted? So if you decide to offer concessions, here are some ideas of how to do it in a way that's gonna protect your time and your energy. And that is like the first thing. Treat it like any other space. You know, keep the same boundaries, keep the same cancellation policy, keep the same expectations there both for you and for them.

Keep those boundaries firm. And put it in writing, you state it clearly what the reduced rate will be and when it will be reviewed, and then stick to that. I would also recommend that you make it time limited. So for example, you might say, I am gonna offer six sessions at a lower fee and then we'll reassess, because otherwise you could be, you could potentially be seeing a client and giving them a, a reduced rate potentially for years and.

You are running a business. You do need to make some money. It is ultimately your choice, but ultimately, again, it's all about making sure that you're getting what you need from it. You need to earn a decent living. It's just normal and natural for anybody, isn't it? And also know your minimum. So only offer a rate that still is gonna feel fair and sustainable for you, because you need to know that you are not going to, again, you don't want that resentment to come through and trust your gut.

You know, basically if you start that feeling, that resentment, if that resentment starts to creep in. It's absolutely okay to reevaluate. You know, you are allowed to set boundaries around your generosity to make sure that you, you aren't giving too much. And if you are the sort of person, if you're a people please, or if you are somebody that has a tendency to give too much, then it is really even more important that you have a proper, really good, clear look at what these boundaries are going to be.

Because like I say, we don't want you to get. Overwhelmed and we don't want you to get burned out. We want you, I want you, I want you. Why am I saying we, I want you to feel comfortable in the job that you do to get paid well so that you get what you need out of it and that you can get the most out of it and help more people at the same time.

So here are a few more questions to help you to decide what might be right for you. So ask yourself, why do I want to offer this, and does it still feel like a choice? I think when I started with a concession, well, it was when I first started out, partly it was down to my own lack of experience, and it just seemed like everybody else was doing it and think how many, how many reduced fee spaces can I offer without really starting to put myself under pressure?

Do you have a clear policy or are you just making it up as you go along? Be honest here because if you are just making it up as you go along, then you are, , I dunno, you're not necessarily being in control, are you? And I have a think, would it help to set a review date so that you're not stuck in with that rate forever?

And also a question to consider is, am I saying yes from a place of compassion or am I saying yes from a place of guilt? Again, really important if you tend to be a bit of a people pleaser. That's such a one, a good one for you to, you know, I'm gonna invite you to think about that. Maybe journal around it, you know, are you gonna give a reduced fee because you feel guilty for charging?

Okay. So yeah, definitely worth thinking about that. so for me, when I was seeing clients back in the day, back in the day, , I offered concessions because I, I just thought that's what something you should do. I thought if you didn't, it would mean that you are. Being mean and yeah, and I was a massive con.

I was a massive people pleaser. Massive people pleaser. So for me, . I dunno, it just felt like it was something that I should do, and it also came from me not quite feeling good enough. I didn't really have the confidence in my skills to be able to confidently say, no, this is the price. But over time it all got a little bit complicated and I was losing money.

Not only that, I was using up my energy. Now, back then, like I said earlier on, I was a single parent and as a single parent, I also had my, I had my own needs. I didn't have any, any help, but my, one of my sons had, , extra medical, , needs as well. And that took a lot of time and a lot of energy and a lot of it had a really emotional impact as well.

I. So for me, I started to charge everybody the same fee because it just had got so complicated. And also I needed the money, you know, the top and the bottom of it was that I needed the money. I probably needed the money sometimes more than the people that I gave a concession two. So that's worth thinking about, isn't it?

And another thing that I did to help with this and I hit, I really do recommend you do this. I also started working on my own money mindset and that made a massive difference. So I got more and more comfortable asking to be paid fairly for the work that I did. Now one of the books that really helped me was Get Rich Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield Thomas.

And I just want to say, don't let the title put you off. You know, the title just sounds like it's all about, I dunno, gold Rolls Royces or something. And it's not really, it's all about self care. It's all about boundaries and it's about shifting how we think about money. It's a fantastic book. You can get it on Audible. There are loads of other books out there, so find one that that sort of interests you and it's definitely, if you struggle with charging clients, it's definitely, definitely worth doing some work on your money mindset as well.

If you want some more information about what I've been talking at, I've got a couple of podcasts, I've already, um. I've already got available for you. One is called the Hidden Impact of money Issues in private practice with guest Kathy Towers, who is amazing. And I've also got another one that's called should You Offer Therapy Clients a First Session Free?

And I'll put the details of those in the show notes as well, so you'll be able to just go and check them out and get a little bit more information on this. So. To recap, really, there's no perfect answer here. There's no one right way to do it. There's no something, you know, you won't look in the rule book for counselors that can tell you what to do.

It's all about you, and it's about the balance between you, your values, your capacity, and your needs. So you can be kind and have firm boundaries and you can care about your clients and charge a full fee. This is your practice and you get to decide how it runs.

So it's over to you. What do you think, you know, do you offer concessions or do you charge your full fee? Have you found it hard to decide, or have you found it hard in practice to actually make it happen? I. Let me know. I would love to know. Come and let me know on Instagram. You'll find me at Grow Your Private Practice or drop me an email.

You know it is jane@janetravis.co uk if I can get it out and I. Yeah, I'd really love to know what you use. Have you got a A system that really works that you want to share? Just let me know. And look, if you are looking at building a more sustainable practice that works for you, come along and check out the Grow Your Private Practice membership where we've got all sorts of info for you.

So that's it for today. I really hope that this has given you something to think about and I'd love to know how you get on with it. So until next week, you take care and I'll see you soon.