Clients sometimes commit to trying counseling, find things are getting better, get busy, and put it on the back burner. They are often back in a month or two but have perhaps lost a lot of what they learned. While sessions can always be purchased on an individual basis and stopped at any time (with 24 hours notice for existing appointments), sometimes this flexibility allows clients an easy avenue to exit before they have really developed the skills to not only meet their goals but prevent themselves from regressing. Clients may also stop attending sessions because they haven’t yet seen the results they hope, for but do so in a vacuum without considering what the evidence shows it typically takes. While clients do not have any obligation to share a reason (whether good or bad) for terminating counseling, very few clients schedule a recommended termination session to recap, discuss plans for the future, and talk about how to prevent relapse.
Packages save money over attending individual sessions. They also require you to pay upfront. This could be looked at as a negative, but some clients also start counseling and stop before they are ready due to financial concerns. Paying upfront ensures that you sign up when you are ready to make the necessary financial commitment. Although counseling is talked about as appointments or sessions, Cardinal Point Counseling looks at it more like offering a solution. While results can never be guaranteed, packages often put clients into a different mindset. I recently joined a Crossfit program at my gym, and it’s not cheap. It will take me three months on average to develop the techniques I need to safely and correctly do many of the lifts correctly. If I look at what I pay for these initial classes, it’s not a good deal. If I look at what I will pay for a long-term health solution, given that health is important to me, it is worth it. Clients who want to terminate a package early can do so, but there is a 15% fee based on the cost of processing and refunding remaining unused sessions.
Clients who choose this approach almost always have better results. It can be especially valuable for clients who may want to give up too easily without having put in the necessary work. Check out the fees page for a breakdown of the cost and pros and cons of different service options. Packages never expire, and once locked in, protect you from potential rate increases that could occur otherwise.